Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. (Plato)
We hear of so many artists, especially musicians, who have made it their lifelong mission to use their music, their art as a way of facing the harsh realities and solving the problems of the world. Most famous among this crowd is Paul David Hewson, better known as Bono of U2. He founded the ONE Campaign, organized the Live 8 Concerts, and was nominated for a NOBEL Peace Prize.
We also know of Bob Geldof who organized the Live Aid Concert for Africa back in the 80's. Brad Pitt, through his Make It Right Foundation, is currently spearheading rebuilding homes in New Orleans after the whole area was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Here at home, Bamboo has taken the lead in coming up with songs that inspire the nation. With their megahit Noypi blasting from every radio station in the metro, Bamboo has brought back the pride in being a Filipino. They have recently covered Buklod's Tatsulok, a revolutionary song that was first aired during the Martial Law era and a favorite among activists and the civil society.
In the leadership workshops I give, I often incorporate an activity called the drum circle. This was an idea that was first introduced to me by a friend who was very much exposed to working with the indigenous peoples.
The idea is to give each one in the circle an object that makes a sound. It could be a drum, a piece of metal, a stick. Then one starts creating a beat, a constant beat. The others in the circle then join in creating a wonderful rhythm of many beats. Each person dances to his own beat and when we find a way to make our individual beats create music, that when peace naturally occurs. The effect, the result is beautiful.
Music is a potent transformative tool. It inspires people, dives into their deepest emotions, communicates in a way only music can do.
As an added proof to this transformative power of music, watch the video I have attached below. I'm sure you remember a teen group back in the 80's who made a famous song called MMMbop. Yes, I am talking about Isaac, Taylor, and Zac, otherwise known as Hanson.
As part of their "Live and Electric" tour in 2005, Hanson toured and Europe. In July 2006, they were given a chance to record with a school choir in Soweto, South Africa for the song "Great Divide", which was released through iTunes in December 2006. All proceeds from the song were directed towards research and prevention of AIDS in Africa.
On September 10, 2007, Hanson began The Walk tour in Nashville. During the tour, Hanson continued their work against poverty and AIDS in Africa, partnering with American company, TOMS Shoes. As part of TOMS' "Shoe Drop", for every pair of shoes sold, the company donated another pair for a child in Africa. Hanson brought awareness to this campaign by asking fans to join them in a 1-mile barefoot walk before each concert, to represent what a typical African child goes through on a daily basis.
Here's a video of Hanson chronicling the experience of working in Africa and doing "The Walk".
Here's the Official Video of the song "Great Divide":
With all the things that are happening in our country right now, music must have an agenda of hope. It can very well be a means for the redemption of our history.
You will be remembered by how great your music was; but you will be judged by how well your music changed lives and the world.
Most impressive: Staged reading of David Lloyd’s 'The Press'
date posted: 2008-07-30 09:53:05 By Miguel Antonio N. Lizada
“The Poet as Critic. Ha!”
-Gruber to Ancel, from David Lloyd’s The Press
The literary world is often divided into two main territories: the domain of the creative writer and the realm of the critic. While many choose to immerse themselves with theory or swim in the beauty of language, there are some who dare cross boundaries and eventually master the mental geography of criticism and writing.
Last July 25, students and practitioners of these two disciplines convened in the studio of the old Communication Department for a special staged reading of a play written by a prominent figure in contemporary literature. Kritika Kultura, an online journal of critics in Philippine Literature teamed up with the creative talents of the Fine Arts Program and Tanghalang Ateneo to stage a dramatic reading of David Lloyd’s “The Press.”
The play was directed by Dr. Ricardo Abad, Tanghalang Ateneo’s artistic director. Assisting him was Dr. Victor Merriman who staged “The Press” in Dublin. Music and sound design were arranged by Enrique Estagle.
In the play, Prof. Lloyd, both a critic and a creative writer, weaves the creative process of the artist with the construction (and reconstruction) of the Nation and an individual’s Political Self.
Set in a prison cell, the play follows a long dialogue between the poet Ancel (played by Tatot Quiblat) and an old painter Gruber (Jovino Miroy). Throughout the play, Ancel, whose radical poems fueled a revolution that put into office a despot known as “The Boss,” contemplates on the repercussions of his actions and the cruel irony of his situation. His conversations with Gruber are interrupted by periodic visits of a military official named Feck (Glenn Sevilla Mas) who demands that Ancel now use his intellectual prowess to help The Boss build the political infrastructure of his empire; Ancel’s lover and The Boss’ daughter, Petra the Imperial Architect (Missy Maramara) who tries to convince Ancel to join her father’s cause; and Ancel’s prized students turned clowns, Hamm and Sham (played by Tito Cosejo and Mel Pante) who invite their former professor to their debut – a show where they would feature “translated” albeit simplified versions of the Poet’s works. Casted in the play too were BJ Crisostomo who played Spanos, Brian Sy and Paolo Deyto who played the prison guards and Xander Soriano who was the Narrator and Stage Manager of the staged reading.
We ultimately find in Ancel’s conversations, the powerful and inevitable dialogue between the Self and the Nation, the personal and the societal, the aesthetic and the political. Ancel’s cruel fate shows how the creative foundations of the artist can likewise be the critical building blocks of a nation’s infrastructure and how these reconstructions may in turn deconstruct that same artist’s personal aesthetics and convictions.
For indeed, the literary world is often divided into two main territories: the domain of the creative writer and the realm of the critic. And the world itself can be bounded in terms of the personal and the political, the private and the public. And if there is one thing that the audience of that staged reading should understand, it is how boundaries themselves are artificial and breakable. Ancel’s fate shows how the aesthetic and the political are one. And the collaboration of Kritika Kultura, the Fine Arts Program and Tanghalang Ateneo in staging the work of a critic and a creative writer, demonstrates how aesthetic criticism can be contained within an art form itself and how an art’s work merits – performed, textual, visual – can be judged according to its intellectual capacity to re-map conventions.
Photos courtesy of Enrique Estagle and Reamur David
The Department of English Ateneo de Manila University School of Humanities
Kritika Kultura
invites the community to a staged reading of
The Press by David Lloyd
Featuring
Tats Quiblat as Ancel Jovi Miroy as Gruber Missy Maramara as Petra Glenn Sevilla Mas as Feck Tito Cosejo as Hamm Mel Pante as Sham BJ Crisostomo as Spanos Brian Sy as Private 1 Paolo Deyto as Private 2
with
Xander Soriano as the Narrator/Stage Manager
July 25, 2008 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. The old Communication Department Studio (beside the College Covered Courts) Ateneo de Manila University Campus
ADMISSION IS FREE!!!
About the reading:
This staged reading of the play “The Press” written by David Lloyd is directed by Dr. Ricardo Abad, Artistic Director of Tanghalang Ateneo and Professor of Sociology and Anthropology of the Ateneo de Manila University. He is assisted by Dr. Victor Merriman who staged this play in Dublin.
About the writer:
David Lloyd, Professor of English at the University of Southern California , is the author of Nationalism and Minor Literature (1987); Anomalous States (1993); Ireland After History (2000) and Irish Times: Essays on the History and Temporality of Irish Modernity (forthcoming 2008). He is currently at work on two further books, A History of the Irish Orifice: the Irish Body and Modernity and a study of Samuel Beckett’s visual aesthetics. He has co-published several other books: Culture and the State, co-authored with Paul Thomas (1997), The Politics of Culture in the Shadow of Capital (1997), with Lisa Lowe, and The Nature and Context of Minority Discourse (1991), with Abdul JanMohamed. A poet and playwright, he is in the International Board of Editors of Kritika Kultura. His major publications easily mark Prof. Lloyd as an important intellectual in literary and cultural studies today.
I have been wanting to write this for quite some time now. When I first had this idea, I didn't immediately put it into writing. I first wanted to do some research. I am not an expert on psychology and human behaviour. These things I will write here are mere observations of the things that happen around me. You be the judge.
(Pardon me, in this article I interchange my pronouns a lot to address both sexes.)
***
Love's Many Faces/Pretenses By Tats Quiblat
There are so many reasons why people fall in love. If you ask people one by one, you might not get two exact same answers. In my experience in working with people, I have come to define and list down 19 possible forms/facets/pretenses of love that people often identify with. These things may not be love itself but I suppose these are the things that make us fall, these are the things that trap us, these are the reasons why we end up happy or hurt.
Most of the time, we clumsily and hurriedly "think" that it is love, but is it?
Catharsis It happens. You got hurt. You were broken. You feel as if you're never going to recover. Then someone comes and puts all your pieces back together. Someone walks in to your life and heals you, soothes the pain, and puts you right back on track. In a different circumstance, this is not the person you would normally fall in love with. This is not the person you would feel any deep affection for. This is not the person you thought you would one day end up with. Yet, because of what he/she did to you while you were down, bound and broken on the floor, he's entire presence suddenly gains a deeper meaning. You begin looking at him differently.
Again, be careful. Tread lightly. Sometimes, when you get fully healed, the person also becomes obsolete.
Adventure Let's face it. You are not able to do that much adventurous things in your life. Well, that's not exactly a problem, right? Being safe meant you got all A's in your subjects. Your parents are so proud of you. You have the rest of your life all figured out. Then one day Adventure walks into your life. You probably met him through your organization or through some common friends. You begin getting to know each other and in the process your own self baffles you. Whenever you're with him, you throw caution to the wind. He makes you do things you never imagined of doing in your all-too-perfect life.
You begin with the small things like learning how to eat isaw or learning how to commute. Then you go on weekend getaways together. You go on hiking trips, restaurant hopping, bargain shopping, midnight screenings. You even go drinking with him. You then realize that your feeling deep affection towards him because with him, you are able to do things you wouldn't normally have done. But as soon as the adventure ends, what really remains?
Lust No need to explain this, really. Here, what you might have thought as love is merely just hormones. He/she just fills your sexual thirst. You are great in bed together. You fit like bolt and nut together. (No pun intended.) Whenever you see him/her, it's not your heart that skips a beat but something else down below. With this person, you don't feel the love kind of giddy. Instead you feel hot, tickled, and bothered. That nervous emotion you're feeling, that's not affection. That's just sexual tension.
Comfort/Convenience She's always there when you need her. She knows how to pick you up when you are down. She brings what you need before you could even ask for it. Your parents adore her. You friends find her funny and charming. You never really regarded her as someone special but she kinda brought it upon herself. It feels good having her around. She keeps you organized, reminds you of your appointments, classes, etc. She knows your favorites and finds ways to give them to you. She's your bestfriend that makes your life easy. Pretty soon, you find yourself drawn to her. You begin seeing her in a different light. But is it really love or convenience?
Everest You are drawn to her because you are challenged. She is out of your league. You pursue her knowing she can't be yours. It's the chase that attracts you. The capture is merely a bonus. You see her as a conquest, a dare. She may never be yours but at least you tried.
Mirror You see yourself in him. You have the same family background. You like the same things. You went through the same pains and heartaches. You have common life tragedies. You went through similar situations in life. Because of these, you feel special affection towards him thinking that he's possibly the only one who gets you. You feel he's the only one who understands you. Watch out. Love cannot be based on compatibility and or familiarity alone.
Fairytale You believe that someday your prince will come, riding on a gallant white horse and sweeps you off your feet. The birds will sing and the sun will shine and everyone will break out into song. Well, not exactly, but you know what I mean. The fairytale is someone you've always dreamed of. He's perfect. Your favorite song played when you first met him. You were wearing the same color of shirt, or you bumped into each other as if destiny has led you into each other's arms. You're smitten by the circumstance. But is it love?
Recognition This one is also very prevalent. You are head over heels with her because she recognizes your achievements. She highlights your little victories. She thinks you're the best basketball player in the world or that you're great in math when you could hardly solve anything. She sees you for the good in you. She thinks your the best person in the world. She's your no. 1 fan. Do you really love her or you just love the ego boost?
Frustration Simple: He is someone you could never be. Thus, you are drawn to him. Just hearing about the things he has done makes you feel that you have done those things too. You feel like an extension of him. He does the things you only could have dreamed of, therefore that makes him very interesting. Careful dear, he's not your pawn.
Pity Affection This may be the saddest among the list. As the name suggests, love exists as a pity emotion because you feel it out of compassion for his/her situation. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Be warned. Pity fades fast. Once he's condition gets better, you'll be seen through the door.
Awe You think he's perfect. He gets good grades, is part of the varsity team, is a student leader, and works with the poor. Or he's the go-to guy at work, manages to travel and do his hobbies, looks good physically, etc. All these things just leaves you at awe. Or it could be that when he speaks, he inspires people. Whenever you talk to him, you just want to absorb his words and learn the things he's learned in life. You floored. You're at awe. You put him on a pedestal even.
Be careful. Pretty soon, his cracks are going to show and you will realize he's just as flawed as you. The higher you put him up the pedestal, the harder the fall.
Trophy Hmmm. Everyone was actually surprised how you managed to snag her. She's an "it" girl. And everyone is wondering why she chose you. And this is why you keep on holding on to her, to spite everyone else who thought you could never get a girl. There are so many issues you are facing with her and you're already finding it hard to deal with her but you still keep on. She used to be so perfect from afar but now that you're getting to know her a lot deeper, she isn't what you thought she would be.
But, you hold on. Because, ever since you two got together, you somehow earned a certain degree of respect from you friends. It hurts, but you know I'm right. Right?
Mystery Girls love mystery. They are drawn to men who seem aloof, uninterested, and cryptic. There is something about mysterious men that makes women go gaga. This is just a bit dangerous. As soon as the mystery vanishes, as soon as the person opens up as required in the getting to know process, his "interest value" wanes. He's suddenly not that interesting anymore now that you know a bit about him. Hmmm. Were you really smitten or were you just curious?
History You probably grew up together or lived in the same neighborhood, or went to the same church. And growing up, you knew you had a crush on him. But you lost contact after a while. Either because your family moved, or you went to college in a different city, or you just suddenly began moving in different circles as adulthood came up. Then one day, you accidentally saw each other again at wake, or at a reunion, or at a common friend's wedding. You decided to grab some coffee and catch up. At coffee, you can't stop staring at him as he talks about his whereabouts. You don't really hear anything. Your mind is wandering back to the days when you were young and in love with this guy who is now sitting in front of you. This was your childhood crush that got away.
Wait. Before you plunge into that bottomless pit of lovelandia, makes sure that you get to know the person first. Who knows, he might not be the same person anymore as the person you knew back then. You just might be in love with the idea. Your feelings were for that boy who grew up with you. This is a different grown up person sitting in front of you now. Wake up. You may love but maybe later... after a million coffee dates with him. You can't get rekindled over a mere catch-up, or can you?
Rebellion Everyone thinks he's not good for you. It's you against the world. Your parents hate his guts. Your friends cannot connect with him. Everybody thinks you deserve someone better. Your parents and friends have a different person in mind that suits you best. And just out of spite for meddling with your life, you picked someone you knew would send your parents and friends ballistic. You chose someone just to give the message of "leave me alone!"
Now, now little lady. Don't dig your own grave. Parents know best most of the time, and friends know better. Plus, your dealing with feelings here. Not just your own but of the man you chose to play with. Unless you pay him for playing the role of "up yours" to your parents and friends, you are bound for disaster. That guy will fall for you so deep you won't be able to get rid of him. Grow up!
Substitute This one's common. The only reason, though you may not be fully aware, that you are smitten with someone right now is because they fill certain roles that you missed out in life. Maybe you are looking for a father figure, or a brother, or a mother, a sister, etc. And this person you're smitten with right now fills that void. They act like a brother, a father, a mother, or a sister and you're hooked. Is that too bad? Not really. Its only a problem when it becomes the sole reason why you fall for these people. There must be more to love than just filling voids and spaces.
Proximity Infatuation This happens mostly among co-workers, among colleagues, among people who work so closely together. You see each other everyday. You're together 24 hours a day. You attend meetings together. You handle crises together. You enjoy victories together. You share the same difficulties and triumphs. Wherever you look, they're there. You wake up seeing their faces. They're the last people you see before you fall asleep. You are almost always together. Before you know it, you are already feeling affection towards the person. He's smile suddenly becomes meaningful. Her face suddenly stands out in a crowd. All of a sudden, you're excited to go to work or come to a meeting because you'll be seeing him.
Be careful. This may not be love yet. This is merely Proximity Infatuation. Once you take away the social construct that binds you together, the affection might be gone too. As soon as the project you are working on together ends, the pseudolove ends as well. Once your term as officers end or once you get to be re-assigned to a different partner, the affection also gets re-assigned with you.
Response Affection You were never really interested in him but when you found out that he was interested in you, he suddenly got interesting and worth your time. Watch out, you can't open your doors at the first person who knocks. Don't settle. You may be single and lonely but you're definitely not desperate. Or are you?
The McGyver There's just something about him that makes you feel that everything is going to be alright because he's around. He makes you feel safe and confident. Nothing can fail because his there. He's always on top of things, is never frazzled, and always has a solution for every mishap. He's like a stronghold, an anchor. Nothing can go wrong whenever his around. And in your busy, frantic, and rushed life, that is very attractive. He seems to be the constant force in your always shaken world. Thus, you fall deep hard and head first.
But what will happen when he's the one who needs to hold on to you for strength and anchor? What will happen when one day he breaks down? Aww.
So, which one is your story?
***
This is not the total list. I'm sure you can add more to this. Feel free to do so. This list is not meant to box our idea of falling in love. These are just opinion and generalizations that I may have gotten form observing people. This is not a scientific opinion and must not be treated as hard fact.
If you can relate to any of this, let me know. If you disagree, let me know as well. Or if you can add to the list, send me a message.
Statistically speaking, unless you are a total hermit, a social retard, or ugly as a putrid bum, there is at least one person in your multiply network that has a crush on you, wants to date you, wants to sleep with you, or simply just wants to kiss you.
So... let's play "No Guts, No Glory!"
The rules are simple.
If you want to date the person who posted this, send a Personal Message, not a reply to this post, saying "Coffee?"
If you have a crush on the person who posted this, send a Personal Message saying "You're hot!"
If you just want to sleep with them & stay friends, send them a message that says "Nice shoes!"
If you simply just wants to kiss the person who postedthis, send a Personal Message saying, "I do!"
SCARED?
The only rule is that, you must not make anyone who sends you a personal message feel stupid for feeling that way about you. Acknowledge. Say thank you. Move on.
IF YOU'VE READ THIS, YOU HAVE TO REPOST THIS, EVEN IF YOU'RE TAKEN & see who replies.
SO... re-post this as "No Guts, No Glory", as it doesn't matter if you're married, in a relationship, or single. You opened it so you HAVE to repost it! A test of your bravery...
MNL: The Manila Lifestyle Guide A publication of Whitecoffee Media Group Inc. 1706 Medical Plaza Bldg., One San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines.
Cyndi Lauper is working on an album with David Byrne (based on his musical, Here Lies Love, about the life of Former Philippines First Lady Imelda Marcos) Here is a bit from his online journal:
Cyndi Lauper came in to the studio last week to sing 1½ songs for the Here Lies Love album. She was about an hour and a half late to the session, so I fully expected to be in for some prime diva behavior. But, as I’d run overtime on the earlier brass sessions, it all worked out great, and Cyndi gave an amazingly fine-tuned performance. Not only is she a wonderful singer from a technical point of view, but she can tailor her attitude and performance to suit the character and the character’s emotional state.
This is exactly the skill set I need for this project. After giving Cyndi the back-story on a particular song and establishing the context of the lyrics, I would give directions like, “Yes, she’s a little angry, but also heartbroken and confused.” Cyndi would then incorporate these complex emotions into her performance with seeming ease. She’d ask, for example, “You want more anger in this verse?” And sure enough, she’d dial a little more in. Very impressive.
***
Here Lies Love
David Byrne – Concept, lyrics & music With Musical Contributions by Fatboy Slim
Through a series of songs written by David Byrne, with musical contributions from Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook), Songs from Here Lies Love presents Imelda Marcos meditating on events in her life, from her childhood spent in poverty and her rise to power to her ultimate departure from the palace. In particular, the production looks at the relationship between Imelda and a servant from her childhood, Estrella Cumpas, who appeared at key moments in Imelda's life.
CAST SUMMARY: Imelda Marcos Estrella Campos
Ensemble parts: Ferdinand Marcos Ninoy Aquino Remedios — Imelda's mother Blue Ladies
STRUCTURE: Prologue: opening disco number — “Here Lies Love” Act I: Flashback to Imelda's childhood Act II: Imelda and Marcos climb to power Act III: The divide between the Marcoses and the Philippines widens Act IV: Imelda's downfall
CAST SUMMARY: Imelda Marcos Estrella Campos
Ensemble parts: Ferdinand Marcos Ninoy Aquino Remedios — Imelda's mother Blue Ladies
STRUCTURE: Prologue: opening disco number — “Here Lies Love” Act I: Flashback to Imelda's childhood Act II: Imelda and Marcos climb to power Act III: The divide between the Marcoses and the Philippines widens Act IV: Imelda's downfall
I couldn't sleep the other night so I decided to watch Jerry Maguire (for the nth time) and I got curious of whatever happened to this kid. So I googled him and found this picture. This only means one thing, I'm old!
If you aren't watching Gossip Girl yet, give yourself a good whipping. You ought to be flogged for missing what could possibly be the TV Show that will define this generation. Believe me, decades from now, people will look back and see how this show really brought in a new sense of awareness--an awareness of how much lifestyle and values have changed because of the way we perceive technology, reality, and human modes of communication. The New York Times was right. This is the BEST SHOW EVER. Well, not ever. I wouldn't go that far. But I'd go as far as THE BEST SHOW TODAY. Last night's episode, Episode 17: Woman on the Verge, was the best episode ever. As in. Really. Trust me. I'm not the kind who gets easily excited. But that episode, man that was too much. That was genius. Plotwise, the way this story is unfolding is genius. And Lily and Rufus, man that was the bomb. That takes the cake!
That Georgie bitch, she's vicious! I love how the "non-judging breakfast club" went past their differences and rallied behind Serena. GG was right, "with friends like these, who needs armies!" Hahaha. And Lonely Boy, what are you gonna do? Poor Dan. Poor, poor Dan. And I don't just mean literally. Although, that too. Sigh.
And I was more than glad to see Lisa Loeb there. That was just fantastic. Teens of the 90's, you will love this episode. It's a throwback. Lisa Loeb performs 'Stay' and I immediately went into lala land. Ah, Stay... that song. Whew!
Okay, I'll go to sleep now counting my childhood crushes instead of sheep. If you haven't seen last night's episode, the download link is below. Enjoy. xoxo
Oh no! Andy and Larry, what have you done? I left the theater shaking my head thinking, did I raise my expectations too high? Was I a victim of over hype? Did I trust Andy and Larry’s so much? Or was I merely caught in the razzle and dazzle of the psychedelia that is Speed Racer?
Either that or the painful truth that the movie did indeed suck big time. Sigh. What an awful waste of material. While we must admit there are merits, yet these said merits proved to be not enough to cover the film's obvious flaws. It could be a case of the Wachowskis pushing the limits of avant-garde technology a little too much. I'm really sad about this. You know how excited I was. Much ado about nothing.
What went wrong? It all boils down to one thing--technology, however advanced and awesome it seems to be, must only be used inasmuch as it promotes the suspension of disbelief. Other than that, you have the formula of disaster.
There have been numerous ridiculous movie ideas presented on screen and people bought it. People bought it because they managed to stay in the sphere of believable unbelievability. In the case of Speed Racer, not only was the idea superfluous but also it was presented in a very disconnecting manner. The visuals, though spectacular, looked lame and amateurish. It's so lame that if you do a freeze frame, any scene would look like something done by a person learning the magic of layers in Photoshop.
This really is surprising. Let us go back to what promise this movie held at the onset. Firstly, the Wachowskis. They have such an impressive resume, you wouldn’t really think twice about their quality of work. I mean, c’mon, V for Vendetta, The Matrix Trilogy, Animatrix. These films brought cinema viewing and filmmaking to a whole new level. They have always upped the ante every time they released a masterpiece. They have such an impressive body of work that you’d think they could never go wrong. Debatably, they just did. Plus, with Oscar-winning visual effects wizard John Gaeta and original music by Michael Giacchino, and Susan Sarandon signing up for a popcorn movie, this film seemed to be destined for greatness.
That's all water under the bridge now. We all know the movie tanked. Good thing Keanu Reeves turned down the role of Racer X. He knew better. You know what they say, you're only as good as your last piece of work. As Heidi would always say, one day you're in, the next day you're out. One day the world celebrates you're breakthrough use of technology, the next day you're cinema's worst enemy.
Or vice versa. Case in point, Robert Downey, Jr. and Jon Favreau. The newly crowned kings of the box office. I know you've seen it. That was just awesome, right? Iron Man was so cool, it froze hell twice over. Speed Racer hell, that is.
So what made the movie work? Among other things, layers. I believe the key to a great superhero movie is having deep layers. It should have different layers that will appeal to almost all parts of the demographic. There must be one layer for people who are fans of the comic hero, one layer for those who have not picked up any prior work about the material, one for the children who could be the primary market, one for the parents who will be bringing the kids and paying for the tickets, one for the giddy couple who's just looking for an excuse to enter the darkness of the cinema, and perhaps one for the producers who are just looking out for their money and is concerned with nothing else. All these without compromising the narrative, the believability, and the integrity of the movie.
Quite a daunting task but, somehow, Jon Favreau delivered one on a shiny silver platter. This from a director who's resume isn't actually that impressive. He's probably best known for only two films, Zathura and Elf. So he's got nothing to lose to begin with. And there's a sense of freedom in that. Bravo, Favreau, bravo. And if you don't know him, he is that guy who plays Tony Stark's driver, Hogan. Yep, that's him.
And one other thing, did you see Captain America's shield? Marvel, being playful as usual, strategically placed CA's shield as teaser for the Captain America movie (If rumors are to be believed, Matthew Mcconaughshit will give life to the patriotic hero. Tragic!). The idea is that, Tony Stark personally designed CA's shield. Clever, huh? If you didn't see it, here's a screencap. See if you can find it. It's a bit low quality so I guess you just have to re-watch the movie. And please, stay through the credits. Those names are the real stars of the movie. They deserve to be read through, too. Who knows, you just might get a bonus at the end. Wink! Wink!
So Speed Racer bombed, Iron Man soared, and the Dark Knight is coming. And if you were early in coming to the theater, you must have caught the newest Dark Knight trailer. If you did, you do realize by now that it will probably be more of a Joker movie than of Bruce. I don't mind. More on this on my next post.
This is the logo for UK's Office of Government Commerce. It cost £14,000 to create. It was intended to signify a bold commitment to the body’s aim of “improving value for money by driving up standards and capability in procurement”.
When viewed as it is, there seems to be nothing wrong. But when turned to the side 90 degrees, here's how it looks:
See anything peculiar? Yeah. That's it. Hahaha. Its amazing how a very innocent design could become something else in the eyes of the beholder.
Here are other disastrous logo designs (From Telegraph):
The Institute of Oriental Studies at Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil hastily withdrew their logo when they realised it could be seen as something other than a pagoda in front of a setting sun.
It's hard to believe the designers of the logo for Kudawara Pharmacy in Japan didn't notice anything wrong with their design.
Arlington Pediatric Center has changed their logo after it became an internet sensation.
Many people have suggested that the logo for the London 2012 Olympic Games could be seen as the Simpsons engaged in a lurid act.
Film companies realized they had to offer the movie going public more than just movie trailers. In an age where uploading a video is as easy as turning on the TV, trailers will not suffice. The audience will make their own viral of your copyrighted material if you don't supply one yourself. Look at what Madonna did with Hard Candy, and the Nike Virals featuring Kobe Bryant jumping over an Aston Martin. Plus, Featurettes make a good DVD/BluRay Bonus Material later on.
So here are 3 Featurettes from 3 amazing movies coming our way this summer.
The first one is for Incredible Hulk. The first one, done by Ang Lee and starred Eric Bana, was panned by critics and did not do well at the Box Office. This time, The Incredible Hulk is directed by French filmmaker Louis Leterrier of The Transporter, Unleashed, and The Transporter 2. The script for the film was originally written by Zak Penn (Behind Enemy Lines, X-Men 2, X-Men 3), but after joining the film as the lead character Bruce Banner, Edward Norton himself took over the reigns and re-wrote the screenplay. The Incredible Hulk arrives in theaters on June 13th.
The next one is from Speed Racer. I hesitated on blogging any more about this movie for fear that I might overhype it. I don't want to overhype for fear that it might fall short. But, then again, when did the Wachowskis ever fall short? lolz. Here's a little something to get even more excited. Wahoo!!!
The last one is from the cute little movie Wall-E. Hold your judgments. I know this is animated, about a robot, and treads very closely to the Short Circuit idea, but give it a chance. It's actually a love story. Its a romantic tale about two very different robots (Wall-E and Eve) and how their love did a reboot to a dying earth. Quite philosophical actually. Wall-E is both written and directed by Pixar's own Andrew Stanton, who wrote and directed A Bug's Life and Finding Nemo. The movie will arrive in theaters everywhere this summer on June 27th. See you in theaters!
What started as a Holy Week sacrifice stretched over for a month. It was March 16 when I last posted a blog entry here. That was the Saturday before Holy Week. I made it a Holy Week sacrifice to not blog. I wanted to have a different Lenten Sacrifice. And for it to be truly a sacrifice, it had to be something really important to me, something that would make a difference if it was taken out of my system. Blogging was it.
After Holy Week, I got swamped with deadlines, family matters, and travel. And before I knew it, a month of no blogging has passed. A month! And I survived it. There were times that I thought I needed to blog just to let steam out but somehow I never really got around to doing it.
Well, here I am. I'm back and I have a month's worth of blog material to share. To start off, a song. I know Wednesdays are supposed to be for OPM songs but let me make an exception just this once. Here's one song that for me, sums up where I am in my life right now, what a month of blogging has afforded me, and what became of my lenten sacrfice.
The song is Better Than I by David Campbell from the soundtrack of the straight-to-video Dreamworks movie Joseph--King of Dreams. It's a very beautiful song. Read the lyrics below and you'll see what I mean.
Better Than I David Campbell Joseph King of Dreams
I thought I did what’s right I thought I had the answers I thought I chose the surest road But that road brought me here So I put up a fight And told You how to help me Now just when I have given up The truth is coming clear You know better than I You know the way I’ve let go the need to know why For You know better than I If this has been a test I cannot see the reason But maybe knowing I don’t know Is part of getting through I try to do what’s best And faith has made it easy To see the best thing I can do Is put my trust in You For You know better than I You know the way I’ve let go the need to know why For You know better than I I saw one cloud and thought it was a sky I saw a bird and thought that I could follow But it was you who taught that bird to fly If I let you reach me will you teach me For You know better than I You know the way I’ve let go the need to know why I’ll take what answers You supply You know better than I
I first heard of the South By South West (SXSW) Film Festival last year. And I have since always wanted to go. Obviously, that would be impossible. The Festival is in Austin, Texas and I'm here in Manila. The closest I could get to an SXSW experience is by browsing through the many trailers of the films showcased in the Festival.
The SXSW is a festival of film, music, and interactive media that started as a "Battle of the Bands" type of event in 1987. It has since grown in terms of impact and participation. This year's festival started March 7 and closed yesterday.
Among the many trailers I've seen of films being showcased this year, this one film really made me want to pack my bags and go book a flight (like I could afford to!) just to see it. The film is Medicine for Melancholy by director Barry Jenkins. No, it doesn't have anything to do with that Ray Bradbury anthology of short stories. (That's a really great book, by the way.) It's official media kit (which I luckily was able to download) describes the film as:
"A love story of bikes and one-night stands told through two African-American twenty-somethings dealing with the conundrum of being a minority in a rapidly gentrifying San Francisco."
That description does not really give justice to what I assume the film really is all about. It's one liner goes:
"A night they barely remember leads to a day they'll never forget."
Now, that sounds more intriguing. But to illustrate my point of why I feel I'm so going to love this film, watch the trailer below.
It's Palm Sunday and today marks the beginning of Holy Week for the Christian Community. Apart from our Christian Church obligations that we need to attend to this week, this is also the perfect time to take a breather from our otherwise busy lives. Once a year, we are given a week/three days to stop and pause, to pray and reflect, to rest and remember.
We need not be morose and all gloomy as we observe this Holy Week. Yes we have our Christian traditions we need to do (Visitia Iglesia, Retreats, Fasting), there are also other simple things we can do to feed our spirit. Here are a 10 Little Things we can try to do as we observe the Holy Week, in unity with the whole Christian world.
1. Slow down. Walk a little more slowly. Enjoy every walking moment. Eat a little more slowly. Try to savor your food. Maybe, just for this Holy Week, try not to hurry. Slow down. Drive slower. Stay a little longer in the shower. Linger at breakfast a bit more. Slowing down relaxes not just the body but the soul as well. Try it, just this week.
2. Observe silence. We live in a very noisy world and we have learned to get used to it. For a change, try to observe silence this week, not just verbally but mentally and psychologically, too. Try to speak only when really really necessary. Block out visuals that add to the mental noise--violence, emotion-draining scenes (soap opera, movies), angst-filled media. Focus on clearing your mind from earth-clutter.
3. Clean up. Part of mental and psychological silence is maintaining a clean and organized living environment. Look around you, your house, your room, your village maybe. Decide to clean up and get organized. This can be a very cathartic process. If your generally a neat and tidy person and you don't find anything that needs cleaning up, get organized. Arrange books and magazines, organize your notes and papers, clear your desks and drawers.
4. Take a walk. Walking can be very relaxing and meditative. Walk around. If you live in a gated community, take a stroll (with your dog) around the village one late afternoon. Or come to ateneo and walk around this very beautiful campus. Or walk around your house or your garden. Walking is healing.
5. Create. Put on some great relaxing music (optional), and make your hands busy. If you haven't tried it, buy a canvass (available at National Bookstore) and some paint and create your masterpiece. Or get some scratch papers and do origami. Or gather round the family and finish one giant jigsaw puzzle. Create. But don't be pressured about it. do it only because it gives you time with yourself.
6. Write. You need not be a writer to do this. anyone can write. And I don't mean on the computer. do this the old way. grab a pen and a piece of paper and write. Write down your thoughts, your ideas, your state of mind. Maybe you can write a poem, a story, or a song. Just write. Write to someone you. Write to yourself. Just write.
7. Rebuild bridges. Get your phone and go over your old saved messages. Get rid of phone clutter, delete whatever you can. For those messages that will be left undeleted, you may have a very good reason why you can't delete them. Maybe because, they said something special that touched you, or they sent something that reminds you of them, or maybe those messages are the only things you have left from that person. Now, send a message to whoever those messages are from. Tell them that you were going through your old messages and that you saw their message and would just like to say thank you, or sorry, or just plain "hi!", and tell them that you kept their message all this time.
8. Keep in touch. Go over your address book and look for those you have not heard from in a while. Send them a text message or give them a call. The person on the other end of the line just might make your day.
9. Spend time with children. If you have your own, spend more time with them. Bring them to Church, pray with them, cook and bake with them, read to them, etc. If you don't have children of your own, maybe you have nephews and nieces, godchildren, children of close neighbors and friends, or maybe volunteer for an orphanage or an institution. Yuo will find this to be a very healthy and humbling experience.
10. Read. Read. Read. Try to finish a book this week. Or at least, try to finish a short story. Better yet, read the Bible. Revisit the Gospels and get to know once again the life of Jesus Christ. Brew some tea, get some nibblets, put on your favorite song, curl up in a corner and read.
Feel free to add to this list. The point of all of these is not that we want to maximize this Holy Week time to do what we wouldn't normally get to do on a workday but rather we do all these to feed our spirit, awaken our soul, spend time with our God. It is suggested that we do all these in the spirit of prayer. We do all these things not just to spend time with our selves and re-awaken our inner "duwende", but really to spend time to praise and give thanks to our God.
Have a truly meaningful and blessed Holy Week everyone.
Mediamen Anthony Taberna and Gerry Baja, through their DZMM 630 radio program "Dos Por Dos", were the first one to air the alleged "Hello Garci" wiretapped conversation between GMA and Virgilio Garcillano.
Last March 11, 2008, Taberna and Baja aired another "alleged wiretapped conversation" that could probably be as controversial as the "Hello Garci" conversation. This time, the conversation allegedly involves a certain "Tito Benj" and a "Joey".
Joey "Mr. I-Did-Not-Get-The-Multimillion-Broadband-Deal-So-I-Am-Going-To-Expose-All-You- Corrupt-Officials-As-If-My-Father-Is-Not-The-Most-Corrupt-To-Begin-With" De Venecia, in an interview with ABS-CBN News, already admitted that the conversation actually happened.
And of course, with regard to the NBN-ZTE issue, we all know very well who Tito Benj is. You don't? You don't know Tito Benj and his Magic Burjer? Then click here!
Here is the alleged wiretapped conversation between "Tito Benj" and "Joey" as aired through DZMM: (The conversation starts at about 4 seconds after you press play. Wait for it!)
Tito Benj: Hi, Joey. Joey: Hi, Tito Benj. TB: Good morning. I am sorry but I forgot the other 3 agencies J: The three other agencies? Ano po iyon? TB: CICT, ang DOTC at saka iyong kaibigan natin. Hik hik hik J: Oho. TB: Magsingit sana tayo ng mga lima pa para diyan. J: Ilan ho sila? TB: Lima, tatlo sila pero siyempre kasama na iyong mga tao nila doon hindi ba? J: Sa palagay niyo mga tig?
(inaudible)
J: Bahala na kayo kayo ang mag-usap. TB: Samakatuwid iyong 25 ko gagawin mo na lang 30. (inaudible) Ako na bahala sa mga agencies. J: Sa NEDA kayo na rin po? TB: Oo, oo. TB: Joey after that, alam mo naman I will be retiring. I hope I could be part of the operations. J: Yes, yes TB: Thank you ha, thank you Joey ha. TB: Maski na messenger lang ako pwede na. Hahaha J: Huwag naman, Sir. You gotta be in our board. TB: Thank you, thank.
End of conversation.
*** So what do you think? You be the judge. Do you think "Tito Benj" is who we think he is? Hmmm...
I soooo Can't wait for this film to come out. Another product of the Wachowski Genius. It comes out May 9th. I've already talked about this film when I posted the film teaser many months back but, finally, here's the full trailer in HD released today. Watch and be blown away!
Last July 25, students and practitioners of these two disciplines convened in the studio of the old Communication Department for a special staged reading of a play written by a prominent figure in contemporary literature. Kritika Kultura, an online journal of critics in Philippine Literature teamed up with the creative talents of the Fine Arts Program and Tanghalang Ateneo to stage a dramatic reading of David Lloyd’s “The Press.” 
In the play, Prof. Lloyd, both a critic and a creative writer, weaves the creative process of the artist with the construction (and reconstruction) of the Nation and an individual’s Political Self.
We ultimately find in Ancel’s conversations, the powerful and inevitable dialogue between the Self and the Nation, the personal and the societal, the aesthetic and the political. Ancel’s cruel fate shows how the creative foundations of the artist can likewise be the critical building blocks of a nation’s infrastructure and how these reconstructions may in turn deconstruct that same artist’s personal aesthetics and convictions.
