Bad Reputation

What do you do when someone's up to assassinate your reputation? This is the premise of the return of Dulaang UP's "Shock Value - The return of TV's most beautiful monsters." Prolific and Palanca award-winning writer Floy Quintos provides the audience a backstage pass to what happens during commercial breaks on your favorite TV shows.

Matt Desaparecidos, host-producer-star maker, (Jojit Lorenzo) was caught red-handed with a 17-year old call boy, Jason (Orlando Sol). An explosive exclusive for the launch Ikagugulantang nyo on the rival station brought down the Matt's career.

The audience are in for a roller-coaster ride with interesting characters like Raquela, the eternal comeback queen to the conniving supervising producer Rina played by Anna Abad-Santos. One may recognize the celebrities that inspired the characters. There are no downtime during the show with the use of Regal film-like production numbers as transition from one act to another.

Though we've seen this on Sunday afternoon, I didn't seem to miss Showbiz Central, Paparazzi nor The Buzz with exclusive scoop on how these shows come up with the juiciest gossips and the means they employ to get them.

"Shock Value" directed by Alexander Cortez will run until October 3 at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, UP Diliman.

Left Behind

I remember crying after finding out that my mom tricked me into taking a siesta, only to find out that she'll be going somewhere. You feel betrayed and lonely as a child. That's the closest thing I can relate on how Andy's toys might have felt in Toy Story 3.

There are ways to cope with being left behind. You can also rationalize to make you feel better or bitter. Worst, you can be really broken and get sick in the head.

I just need to connect all 4 stories I have seen last Sunday in a one-week old blog entry that I could have written after seeing them.

Virgin Lab fest last night opens with Suor Clara. The curtain opens with an old woman lighting a candle and reading verses from Songs of Solomon from the bible. She was interrupted by a knock on the door begging her to open for him. It was the Bishop visiting her to bid her goodbye. Spain's power in the Philippines is almost over and they need to leave. Clara decides to stay though the Bishop offers her to come with him. She knew how it is to be left behind but she realized that there's freedom that comes from being abandoned. She found her peace and happiness.

The actors brought life to the witty script written by Floy Quintos. I remember Arlo told me that he thought the play was high drama but the actors played it with it and made it a dark comedy. I wish I could write a play, like this, where you get something from the dialogue without getting preachy.

The second play pales in comparison to the opener because it was exactly the opposite. Package counter was set in a mall where you leave your baggage so you can conveniently run your errands around. Its main characters were ordinary folks but they talk like philosopher. Yeah, they may be full of angst like some kids who just got off from school but you don't hear people talk like in a telenovela.

Things started to pick up on the last play, Matyag. My sensibilities were offended on how the dad touches his daughter in the story. He seems to be entertaining lustful thoughts in his head while his wife works abroad to provide for their daughter's future. On the side, he's having an illicit affair with another woman. The show closed with a shocker.

All four stories were talking about toys and people who have no choice but to stay and watch someone go. There's always a wishful thinking that we could be together forever but more often than not someone has to leave us or we leave people behind. We can only keep memories and move on with the people who remains with us until we find each other again. Somewhere.

What our river tells about Filipinos

Each country boasts of an iconic landmark that reminds the people of the place. For example, River Thames in London seen below. The Eye of London gives you a view of the city.


In the heart of Seoul, there's a story that we should all take to heart. It's the story of Cheonggyecheon, a rehabilitated stream that has been a tourist spot in the city. Lee Myung Bak, then mayor of Seoul, had a vision to revive the stream that has been neglected for a long time. The mayor had a political will and succeeded in his project to restore the 6 km stream that run across the city.


I wonder if our environment is ever a priority of our government. Since FVR, I haven't heard any Philippine President pushing to clean the Pasig River. The two rivers I mentioned were testimonies of how much they value the significance of sustainable growth. I'm pretty sure that our politicians may have seen these rivers in one of their numerous foreign travels abroad using the people's hard-earned cash.

Before I end this entry, let me show the video I took when we took the Pasig River Ferry going to Ongpin last month. See how we have taken the Pasig River for granted...




Happy 112th Independence Day.

Percy vs. Harry

I was excited to see Percy Jackson and the Lightning thief because it's a fresh interpretation of the myth that is Perseus. Last week, I even bought the sequel to the lightning thief, Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. So my expectations were high but I was disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, the movie was not at all bad. Technically, the effects were at par with Hollywood standards. Pierce Brosnan (James Bond, Mama Mia), Uma Thurman (The Producers, Les Miserables) and Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings) were part of the cast. Logan Lerman was cast for the title role.

Percy is dyslexic so he finds it hard to cope up in school. He lives with his mom who has a loser for a husband. One day, he discovers that he was the son of Poseidon. Sally, his mom, brought him to Camp Half Blood, a place for demigods like him. He learned that he was accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt.

I find the movie bland despite the noble mission the lead character sets upon himself. There's not enough mystery in Percy that got me hooked. J.K Rowling successfully set Harry in a world that could easily pull him to the dark side. In the HP series, there's always a threat lurking in every corner even while he is in Hogwarts. The movie intends to be fast paced and employ action sequence to thrill the viewers rather than engage the audience with the thoughts and feelings of the lead character.

I was expecting a lot from Annabeth's character because she is the daughter of Athena. I expect her to guide Percy in his quest but she was rather weak, too. Unlike Annabeth, Hermione was not a companion for Harry but a real friend. Together with Ron Weasley, they add substance to the plot of the story.

Despite all the action the film has to offer, it appeared uninspired for me. The writing could have done more justice to the heroic exploit of the Greek hero Perseus.

Play of words

I have seen Jonathan Larson's Rent last Saturday night and one of the most moving songs from the musical is Without You. Roger and Mimi singing a double solo while they realize how they die without each other.



Lyrics | Rent Cast - Without You lyrics

Sunday morning, I woke up and watched My Fair Lady which stars Audrey Hepburn. I haven't seen this until that morning. Though I have heard Arlo singing "Wouldn't it be loverly?" and "I've grown accustomed to her face." I've listened to "On the street where you live" on the classical radio. But this song caught my attention because this is the opposite of the song i have mentioned above. It's also called Without You but with a whole different meaning.



Which do you like more?

A Thai Surprise

To break the habit, I was made to choose a place where Arlo and I will have our dinner before our scheduled screening of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes. Since we usually enjoy Asian fares, I thought of trying Chef Choi or Jatujak; obviously, I chose Jatujak since I haven’t tried it before and it would be nice to try it out with my partner.

Thai food can be too spicy for the Filipino taste so the waiters ask us how they will prepare the dishes we chose. Arlo is not a big fan of spicy food so we specifically asked to go mild on the spices. For starters, we had the crunchy catfish and mango salad. I really enjoyed this dish because of the play on texture and flavour. The catfish meat was like pork floss that we had at Su Zhou Dim sum. The green mangos were cut like thin noodles and it gives the salad a sweet and sour taste. Nuts, red chilli and cilantro blended together this light salad that would whet your appetite.

If you haven’t had Tom Yum other than the cup noodles version. You’d be surprised with how much flavour there is in this soup than just salt and MSG. Leeks, galangal, cilantro were the prominent herbs and spices infused in this soup. Arlo mentioned his minimal tolerance for sour taste, too; however, he chose this dish. He loved it but I can see his tears well up his eyes as he sips the soup. The fish, squid and shrimp were cooked just right and complement the strong flavor of the consomme.

Red curry beef was good but it might have worked if the flavor was more intense. I have to say that beef was tender and the sauce has the right creaminess in it. It worked well with the other dish and the plain Jasmine rice we had with it.

Their service is good and the waiters were accommodating. The ambiance is very youthful and made Thai more pop than exotic. Presentation was made modern yet still has the home-cooked meal feel into it. We’ll surely be back to try their other dishes.

Avatar

Recently, Mother Nature has been making her presence felt through tremors, volcanic eruptions, rising sea level and melting icebergs. You can't help but think that the world may be coming to an end. Recent research are done to find a new home for man. This is the premise of James Cameron's latest film, Avatar.

Avatar stars Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington. The film brings us to the planet Pandora where humans are exploring to extract unobtanium, which will help resolve Earth's energy crisis. In order to this, a group of scientists lead by Dr. Grace Augustine (Weaver) uses Avatars to diplomatically mine these minerals. But, they have to befriend them first by establishing diplomatic relations with the natives. Jake Sully (Worthington) works with Dr. Augustine while taking orders from Col. Quartich (Stephen Lang).

I won't spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it. But to give you an idea, it's like a re-telling of Pocahontas in a more modern setting. She's been given a new look using technology. Pocahontas was made edgier and sexier. Science gave John Smith (Jake Sully) an armor using a human-Na'vi hybrid body that masks his real identity.

Advance special effects were employed to make Pandora come to life. They made the planet like earth under the depth of the sea. The plants and animals have bioluminescence that emits its own light at night. They also have their own rhinoceros, wolves and panthers. Connection to nature has never been real as the natives of Pandora can literally connect to their roots and to nature.

Politics and environmental issues are related to the audience through a very entertaining medium such as this. I only hope that the people will see beyond the 3D images that the movie wants to impart to its audience.