* Saturday, May 28, 2005 *
Happy na, *burp*day pa!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEB!
It was my beb Sheiden's birthday yesterday, and she asked me to come to ABS-CBN so that we can have a simple dinner with the Wazzup gang. As it turned out, she had also convinced our former PA Red to come over, so I was very excited to go.
At around 6:45 pm last night, Red picked me up on his red convertible (Hahaha! Convertible daw oh! Convertible to cash!) and we drove to Mother Ignacia. Slice ma-traffic, pero okay lang. Madaldal naman ako eh. Feeling ko nga, nabingi si Red sa boses ko. Sumuko pa nga yung radyo niya sa kotse. Harhar.
Sobrang saya pagdating namin sa set. Kamustahan. Gulatan. Some people thought Red came back to ABS for work. Ako hindi na nila tinatanong, kasi pangatlong beses ko nang bumalik dun after I resigned. Nagsawa na sila kakatanong sa akin.
The cast taped the Friday episode muna, and then we left the studio. Nagkaka-asaran. As we walked outside the studio, bidding goodbye to the cast and crew, Red and I lashed out some familiar lines. Some of them went like this:
RED: Mark, yung batteries akin na. Iaakyat ko na.
--- Being a former PA, one of Red's jobs before was to take care of batteries that were used for the microphones. You can always see him walking around with a box of Energizer batteries everytime we had live episodes and taping.
TARA: Mga kuya! Thank you po!!! See you next week!
--- Always, always when the live episode or taping ends, I'm one of those people who leave last. Paano, laging hinihintay si Kuya Vhong lumabas so I can say goodbye. Afterwards, chikahan pa with the utility and set men, kaya ayun... lagi ko nang dialogue ito bago ako umalis sa set.
RED: Tara, favor naman, paki-akyat na muna 'tong mga gamit. Kukunin ko lang yung TOA sa tower.
--- TOA means Taped-On-Air. Pag sinabing TOA, yun ang tape ng isang episode ng show na magsisilbing record namin. Red was also the one assigned to get the TOA from the tower after each live episode, or kung taping naman, yung taped spiels.
PAGKAHABA-HABA MAN DAW NG PRUSISYON...
After taping, we went to the TV Production office first. Siyempre may mga trabaho pa rin naman ang mga tao... so Red and I went along. Konting picture-an, konting asaran uli. Hanggang sa nauwi na naman kami sa napakatagal na yayaan.
Discovery Channel: Kahit ilang buwan na kaming wala ni Red sa Wazzup, buhay pa rin ang tradisyon ng yayaan. This tradition is kinda similar to courtship. It takes persistence and patience. Paano ba naman, magsisimula kang magyaya, sasabihin sa iyo, "Andiyan na! Teka lang, sandali na lang, promise!"
You'll end up making small talk with the people around. And then you notice five, ten minutes passed by. Magyayaya ka uli. Ang sagot: "Super sandali na lang talaga. As in!"
Again, you wait. You even end up fixing all the things cluttered on the table, and writing your to-do list for the next day. Another ten, fifteen minutes pass by. Yaya ka uli. This time, the reply would be: "Sige na, mauna na kayo. Sunod na lang ako."
*Sigh*
That's how it was, and that's how it still is for our gang. And I'm thinking that this is how it's going to be for the rest of our lives. Yayaang walang humpay... na mauuwi sa inuman at puyatan.
MAALAALA MO KAYA?
We went to Mother Ignacia Place (MIP) for dinner (este... ako lang pala kumain!), and I ordered my favorite adobo mushroom. Si Sheiden dismayado kay Red kasi hindi na siya umiinom. Coke na lang ang tinira. Disappointed ang lola mo... kaya ayun, tumungga ng... este beb, ano bang ininom mo? Red horse o San Mig Light?
Red and I remembered the times when we went to MIP just to relax after a hard day's work. Natatawa kami kasi dati pag pumupunta kami roon, ang mga maririnig niyong dialogue sa amin ganito:
"Hindi ako magtatagal ah. May location pa ako bukas nang maaga. Si *toot* kasi, punyeta, ngayon lang nag-submit ng topic!"
"Sino nagtakbo ng tapes kanina? Bakit hindi umabot yung roll?"
"Inis na inis nga si *toot* kay *toot* eh... nakialam kasi ng trabaho nang may trabaho!"
"Mamatay na sana siya! Wala siyang kunsiderasyon! Akala ba niya madali yung pinagagawa niya?"
"Alam mo bang tumambling ako kanina ng mga lapel mic?"
"Shyet, sandali... kailangan pa natin ng isa pang service. Tawagan ko lang si *toot*."
"May topics ka na ba for Rekla next week?"
"Parang tanga si *toot* kanina! Alas kuwatro na, wala pa yung mga video punchline! Matutuyuan talaga ako ng dugo sa kanya!"
"Narinig mo yung upsound ni *toot* kanina? Kinaya mo yun?"
Those are just some of the lines you'll be hearing from us, especially if its a Wednesday or Thursday night (walang meeting). Impernez ha... nakaka-miss mangarag, pero ayoko na atang pagdaanan yun uli. It's already enough that it remains forever in my memory. Harharhar.
Si Sheiden, walang patumanggang picture-an ang pinasimuno, porke't may bagong digicam (bastos!). Baby niya raw yun... Alexis ang pangalan. Harhar. Shaider na Shaider talaga ang dating. Sayang wala si Annie.
I would've posted pictures, pero punchline ni Sheiden, hindi pa niya alam kung paano ie-email yung pictures sa akin. Sayang. May mga wacky pics pa naman dun (ex. Madagascar/National Geographic pose, Flow Virus pose, Drew's feet in slippers, Kissing Scene kuno, at kung anu-ano pa).
Umuwi kami ni Red ng 1:30 am. (HUWAAT? ANG AGA!) Eh kasi si Lolo Red, may pasok pa sa munisipyo. I would've loved to stay, pero nakikisabay lang ako kay Red. Mamasahe pa ba? Harhar.
All in all, it was a simple but fun celebration. It was nice to meet and be with old friends. I miss them all. Happy Birthday, beb! Hope you had fun! :) Nood tayo Madagascar ha?
@1:03 AM
* Wednesday, May 25, 2005 *
Wallie sharing!
Yun lang... just to let you know.
And yeah, NEWS FLASH, I cut my finger earlier while I was slicing pan de sal. Ang tanga, noh? Hehe. My left thumb is now an invalid.
* Tuesday, May 24, 2005 *
I wanna burn GMA-7 down!
One of the reasons why my heart is aching right now is GMA's "injustice" to my favorite K-drama Sweet 18. But before anything else, I'd like to tell you first what Sweet 18 is, in case you are not familiar with it.
[ 1 ] Sweet 18 is a NEW Koreanovela. By NEW, I mean, this is the first time that this Koreanovela will be shown for public consumption, on national television. Sure, there are a lot of K-drama addicts (like me) who have seen this over and over to their hearts' content, but there are thousands or millions more who haven't. And if I had it my way, I would love it if this wonderful series reached and touched as many people as possible.
LEFT: This, in his point of view, is how they first met. RIGHT: She asked her to marry him first, but he said he loved her first.
[ 2 ] Sweet 18 is one of the funniest and sweetest K-Dramas I've ever seen. It explores the lives of two people who have been arranged to marry each other. The story follows the couple through their ups and downs, making us, viewers fall in love with them as they discover their genuine feelings for each other as each episode unfolds. The characters are very endearing, and their experiences and the way they handle those experiences are both funny and touching at the same time.
LEFT: Jung-Sook shows husband Hyuk-Joon how to get rid of the blues... in one quick stroke! RIGHT: One of the sweetest on-screen kisses I've seen ever. This happens in Episode 7.
[ 3 ] Sweet 18 stars Lee Dong Gun For some K-drama addicts (like me, again), the name Lee Dong Gun on a label is enough to make us purchase or watch anything. In Sweet 18, Lee Dong Gun plays the role of a stiff, by-the-book but nice prosecutor who suddenly finds himself falling in love with a childish and immature 18-year old girl. In my opinion, this is Lee Dong Gun's cutest and most lovable role yet. (Not to mention, he really looks good if he's a little on the chubby side. Lovers in Paris and Stained Glass both star a very thin-looking Lee Dong Gun. Not that I don't adore him anymore... he just looks better when he's malaman.)
LEFT: Look at Dong Gun oppa's cheeks. Don't you just wanna kiss them!? RIGHT: I'm telling you... pajamas never looked this good.
Now that I've described (non-objectively? Who cares?) Sweet 18 for you, let me tell you why I was pushed to write that title above. (WARNING: Potentially incoherent rant will follow.)
GMA seems not to have seen the true potential of this series. Originally, GMA placed Sweet 18 on an afternoon slot (Mondays thru Fridays at 5:30 pm, to compete with the Meteor Garden re-run that was airing over ABS-CBN), and it outraged a lot of people who have seen this drama. It deserved a primetime slot because the show's target audience is supposed to be teenagers and young professionals.
Because it's summer, it is safe to say that most teenagers are home so they will be able to watch this series at the given time slot. What about the young professionals who get off work at 5:30 in the afternoon? I know a lot of yuppies who want to see this K-drama but are dismayed when they found out about the timeslot.
Let me clear things pala. I'm not a Kapuso. Damn, I'm a die-hard Kapamilya. But if GMA had put Sweet 18 on the primetime slot, I will not hesitate switching channels or watching Sweet 18 inside my parents' room just so I can relive Jung-Sook and Hyuk-Joon moments again! The first week it aired, I honestly almost short-circuited our remote control because I switched channels like crazy!
Now tell me. Why didn't they put even ONE giant Sweet 18 billboard along EDSA? Is it because Lee Dong Gun was first introduced in ABS-CBN??? I think not.
GMA took this series for granted. And it makes me very, very mad. At the height of the K-drama Stairway to Heaven (which I loved, by the way), GMA spent on TV plugs, promos, radio plugs (a theme song was made for the show), and a gigantic billboard greeting you while you enter the GMA-Kamuning Station when you ride the MRT.
The same thing was done with Full House and All About Eve, both K-dramas shown on GMA's primetime block. While I have nothing against the three shows I've mentioned, I was kinda expecting the same treatment for Sweet 18. But did that happen? NO! Honestly, I think GMA just decided, in a spur of the moment, to air Sweet 18 without even promoting the show decently! And because of what? Because they got threatened by Meteor Garden? OH, COME ON!!!
I thought that because GMA is winning the ratings game since late last year, and because they've publicized their success all over the Philippines, they would at least have the sensibility to handle the Meteor Garden threat efficiently. In all actuality, I didn't like ABS-CBN airing Meteor Garden again because it had been shown and re-shown too many times already that I thought people were already tired of it. Surprisingly, the F4 magic was still there, and too bad for Sweet 18.
A sacrificial lamb. Yeah... that's what it was. Sweet 18 didn't win over Meteor Garden (maybe because it wasn't promoted appropriately), so it had to go. Go where? To a timeslot where almost all re-runs are placed. As I've said, Sweet 18 is a new show... not a re-run. Placing it in a weekend late-morning timeslot will not help maximize its potential as a wonderful, funny and endearing series.
Pardon me for being very, very affected. Sue me for saying negative things about GMA. Bash me if your head ached of my ranting. My point is that I love this show, and I want as many people possible to appreciate it like I did, but at the rate things are going, I highly doubt it. GMA should've saved this for a later season. They would've struck a gold mine with Sweet 18 just like they did with Stairway to Heaven and Full House, but they made a wrong move.
Sweet 18 for me, has turned sour, thanks to GMA. I wish it was ABS-CBN who had gotten the rights for this. Now it's too late. GMA is so unfair to Sweet 18. They should've given this show a chance.
P.S. This freaking post drained my energy. Better get some sleep.
*Sigh* And I hope that when I wake up I'll have someone like him beside me. Lucky Han Ji Hye.
* Friday, May 20, 2005 *
Nothing really special.
What's worth mentioning, though... is my guy buddy Tops' latest achievement! CPA (Certified Public Accountant) na siya! Yahoo!
Finally! After all those years of hard work, you have already reached your goal! Ang sarap ng feeling noh? Idagdag mo pa diyan na may girlfriend na siya! O diba! Double happiness talaga!
Tops, congratulations!!! Blow-out ha?
... si Drew Arellano!
I was in Wazzup yesterday because I accompanied Michael who guested in the show. Our PA, Mark, told me to surprise Drew (the earliest to arrive) by knocking on the door of their dressing room and show up with the script.
Of course, I agreed with much gusto, and knocked on the door with matching familiar dialogue, "Drew, dito na po yung script mo!" I opened the door and there he was, mouth agape, surprised to see me yet again. I handed him the script, and, instead of getting the script from my hands, he hugged me tightly and asked, "Bakit ka nandito?"
"Eh yung guest niyo, binabantayan ko."
"Sino'ng guest?"
"Si Michael Cruz."
"Yung singer?"
"Yup," I beamed.
"Talaga!?"
We went on blabbing about what-nots, and I swear he smelled so good na nakurot ko siya sa tiyan sa sobrang gigil! Sabi ko pa, "Ang bango mo!" :)
I excused myself for a while because I had to attend to Michael, and we saw each other again in the set. Again, another hug. Hayyy... he definitely gave me my daily hug dosage. Miss ko na talaga yun.
I LOVE DREW ARELLANO! Not ashamed to admit!!!
* Wednesday, May 18, 2005 *
Here's my pet, Sausage!
|
|
| adopt your own virtual pet! |
Heeheehee. Kawawang aso, Sausage ang pangalan. I actually have been wanting a pet para mapangalanan kong Sausage. Wala lang. Cute kasi.
You can actually play with the dog by moving your mouse around. You can click on the puppy treats and then tease the dog with it. Pag clinick niyo yung maliit na bone on top of the puppy, Sausage will show you a trick!
Ang cute noh! Kuha rin kayo ng pet niyo!!!
Jet Li is, once again, unleashed.
Jet Li's dramatic skills "Unleashed"
By Rebecca Louie
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — All Jet Li wanted was to promote a message of nonviolence and to flex his acting skills in addition to his muscles.
But, the action actor says, fans have complained about his new movie "Unleashed."
Li plays Danny, a slave assassin groomed by a European thug (Bob Hoskins) who is treated like a dog and forced to wear a collar.
"They thought it was ... " and Li consults an interpreter for the precise word "... insulting because Jet Li is the hero for the Chinese. Why does he have a collar on? Why is he stepped on by white people?"
"I have made a lot of action films, and I always kick white people's butt, black people's butt, the Japanese," he says. "Nobody said anything. I try to tell them that I am a producer on this movie. Why would I insult myself?"
Seated on a couch in a midtown hotel, Li, a Buddhist, clutches a rope of blue prayer beads. "Unleashed" is not about racial tension, Li says, but the importance of family. As Danny tries to break from his past, he discovers the possibility of love and a life free of violence.
The chance to explore that lesson in a complicated role lured Li to the project. This same factor pushed studios away.
When the script, written by Luc Besson ("La Femme Nikita," "The Professional"), was shopped in Hollywood, it was turned down by major studios, forcing the team to make the movie in Glasgow with European funding.
"It's difficult for an action actor to change his career," says Li. "My English is not so good, it doesn't show Jet Li's brains in American movies."
It's possible, others suggest, that the reluctance was part of a larger tendency to keep male Asian actors confined to action films.
"Audiences will pay 10 dollars to see an Asian guy kicking ass, but won't pay a buck to see an Asian guy emoting or romancing," says Jeff Yang, author of "Once Upon a Time In China: A Guide to Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese Cinema."
Stateside action movies such as "Romeo Must Die" and "Cradle to the Grave" have partnered Li with hip-hop icons Aaliyah and DMX.
To play Danny, Li worked with an acting coach for the first time. To evoke Danny's primitive isolation, he observed dogs and spent nights alone on the sound stage eating bread and water.
"Sometimes I would cry, I was so sad and lonely," says Li of the long, cold nights on set. "I was like, 'Why am I doing this? You could have a five-star hotel and a lot of people around you, a very good life. But to play this character, I had to be in his world."
Born in Beijing, Li has long been an icon in China. As a youth, he mastered the wushu form of martial arts and toured the world as a national champion, performing for world leaders such as President Richard Nixon. He switched to films when he retired from his athletic career at 17. Last year his martial-arts epic "Hero" broke box-office records in China and the U.S.
Emotionally drained after wrapping "Unleashed," Li took a year off and traveled to Tibet, India and Taiwan. There, he read, meditated and studied with Buddhist masters.
In December, while vacationing in the Maldives with his family, he was trapped by the tsunami. The flooding reached his mouth level as he fled with his daughters and a nanny. Everyone survived.
"Being very close to death makes me see there are more things I have to do," says Li. "I want to tell the audience the meaning of martial arts, that if you use it to hurt people you are like an animal. It is more important to understand life, the family, friends and responsibility to the world."
The conviction is an outgrowth of his faith. Gripping his prayer beads tighter, he says: "I try to chant every day. In the beginning, you chant for yourself. Then you chant for your family. Then, you chant more and more for life, the world, people, whatever you see. I hope to give good things to all people."
Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company
Meet the new Li: Lover, not a fighter
By Stephen Schaefer
Sunday, May 15, 2005 (The Boston Herald)
Jet Li calls Unleashed "the hardest movie I've ever made, as well as one I didn't get zero pay for."
This unusual mix of ferocious, R-rated fighting and unvarnished sentiment wasn't a film made for love but for conviction.
Li, who carried his blue Buddhist prayer beads around his wrist when he sat down to talk, hopes that in the blistering violence of Luc Besson's tale (opening this weekend), moviegoers will exit understanding that violence is not the answer: Love is.
Li's Danny the Dog has been raised by his loan shark uncle (Bob Hoskins) as a pit bull enforcer. Whenever his uncle unleashes Danny's dog collar, Danny attacks - and the brutalized, nearly dead miscreants quickly cough up their debts.
But Danny, who is kept unwashed in a cage and is mentally 8 years old, meets a blind piano tuner (Million Dollar Baby Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman) whose music triggers a flood of long-repressed memories.
"The first time, through the music, Danny feels it, the love that is sweet, that is friendship. This is why I believe the movie is very violent in the beginning and the end is the message I want to say, which is violence is not the only solution," Li said.
But making Unleashed wasn't easy.
"Nobody wants to make this movie in the States because I never proved I could act. They say, 'Jet Li can do action.'"
Now 42, Li traces his desire to move beyond action films to his attempted retirement in 1997.
"I have good enough money to take care of my family, and I'm quite famous in Asia," he said of his decision to visit India, find a Buddhist master and meditate.
The master told him not to retire and to have plastic surgery on a mole on the tip of his nose. What happened?
"The phone rings and Warner Bros. sends a first-class ticket to come to the States. That day changed my life," he said.
"But I never stopped studying Buddhism, and between each movie, I travel to India to find out about the life. I learned more about Buddhism than English, which is why my English today is still bad," he said, smiling.
Li wants to be a positive role model.
"Young kids look at you. I hear people say, 'Jet Li, you kick ass! You're cool.' At the beginning, I'm happy, and then I think, 'Chinese people only know how to kick ass: Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, myself.' Action is good, but it must be done in a different way. That's why I do Hero and Unleashed. Now I'm making a movie in China taking my philosophy and going to the next level of life. Martial arts is cool, but love is cooler."
I first saw the Unleashed billboard when I was on my way to ABS-CBN two weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised. Why? Because I've waited for this damn movie for around two years at least, even forgot all about it, and now it's finally gonna get shown!
Okay, I must admit now... I AM A DIE-HARD JET LI FAN. Yes. Amidst all my ka-jologsan, I adore and worship Jet Li. I even wrote a four-part fan fiction about him while in college. I just love the guy ever since I laid eyes on him in 1995 in the movie Fist of Legend. There. Clear now?
And now, I'm going crazy over Unleashed because I finally get to watch him again in action! The last movie I saw of him was Hero, where he starred with Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and Zhang Ziyi... and I must say, I miss his ass-kicking moves so much that I'm dying to see this new one!
Unleashed opens in Manila on May 25! I can't wait!
* Monday, May 16, 2005 *
"Oh my John!"
Backtrack. The first time I recall having interest in John was when I saw him play the role of Martin in Goin' Bulilit's Lovers in Pares. Siyempre, crush ko si Martin that time, so I checked it out to see if he was going to do any justice to the role given to him. And boy, oh boy, WAS I FLOORED!
He played Martin with such finesse that it looked like he watched Lovers in Paris over and over to master of Lee Dong Gun's facial expressions and movements. Ang galing pa nung pagkaka-make-up at pagkaka-ayos sa kanya. Kuhang-kuha ang appeal ni Martin! Sometimes when I look at him I instantly connect him to Lee Dong Gun. Kita niyo ba, pati yung mata at eyebags gayang-gaya! Hindi ba, nakakatuwa?
Ayun. Ever since then, suki na ako ng Goin' Bulilit. And I was thankful he got a role in Mga Anghel na Walang Langit. Ngayon, araw-araw ko nang masisilayan ang baby John ko! :)
[ TRIVIA : I also had a crush on a child star named John before. I was in Grade Three then, I think. Batang X days. His name is John Pratts. He's now one of the most good-looking and talented ABS-CBN stars, IMO. I will not be surprised if John Manalo will soon be one, and follow in his uncle Jericho Rosales' footsteps. ]
I'm so glad I found some more pictures of him on the net, thanks to Pinoyexchange (Ang sisipag ng mga tao dun, impernezz!), and I'm very proud to share them with you! Here they come, the beautiful ones! (Duh... bangengs!)
Look at how cute the kids are! Nakakatuwa itsura ni Nikki rito! John is the one at the far right corner of the picture. He plays the role of Jeboy, Sharlene's older brother.
This is John in the show's pilot episode screen capture. Serious!?
This is the second version of the screen capture. Hay... ang cute ni baby John dito. Nakakabasag ng puso ang facial expression!
If I can remember it right, this is John and Sharlene's first scene in the pilot episode. Naghahanap sila ng pagkain dito... ang KYUT!
And this... this is the last scene of the pilot episode. Awww... umiiyak baby John ko!
Hehehe. Madalas dito sa bahay tinutukso na ako nina Mommy. Mag-apply na raw akong Production Assistant ng Goin' Bulilit para makita ko lagi si John. Hay naku, sabi ko, kung magiging PA ako ng show na yun, kawawa sa akin ang mga bata! Feeling ko lang ha? Malalamog sa kurot sa pisngi ang mga batang iyon sa akin... hindi lang si John, kundi pati si Sharlene, Nash, Miles, Nikki, Eliza, Carl John, atbp!
I love these kids. Sobra.
At ngayon napapa-"Oh my John!" ako dahil dito sa napaka-cute at multi-talented na batang ito! More caps when I get some more!!! :)
***
P.S. Watch Goin' Bulilit every Sunday, after The Buzz, and Mga Anghel na Walang Langit weeknights after TV Patrol World! Only on ABS-CBN Channel 2... Kapamilya 'to! SOLID!
They come in threes...
Tonight, the 1st season of Search for the Star in a Million ended, and, like the first two original Star in a Million seasons, I was again disappointed.
Backtrack. In Star in a Million (SIAM) season 1, I was rooting for now multi-platinum artist Christian Bautista. I found him cute and very, very talented... even if his hairstyle back then left much to be desired. Napanood ko siya, January batch pa lang sa ASAP. He was the first finalist who entered the Grand Finals. As time progressed, his looks got better. He dressed better, and he sounded oh-so-much-better also. I would always say that his voice fits in a stage play because of its clear, distinct sound.
Sorry for using this picture again. Heehee. Tinamad akong mag-search eh. Antok na slight. Pero guwapo naman si Papa Christian dito, divine?
During the 2nd to the last episode of the SIAM 1 Grand Finals, Christian got the bashing from the judges because unlike the other contestants, he was unable to dance and sing well at the same time. His inability to bust the moves became his downfall. Therefore, he was voted out of the competition and ranked number four among the contestants.
I was so disappointed then. My votes went to Sheryn Regis afterwards. Well... anyone who knows their SIAM 1 history would know that it was Erik Santos who won. So, double disappointment for me.
SIAM season 2 came, and I wasn't really very interested to watch the show anymore because I had myself a job early last year. My interest in the competition came in May, when I saw Michael Cruz performing as one of the May finalists. Michael was, to my cousins and I, a familiar face because we already watched him perform in Klownz Araneta twice. We liked him instantly then because of his style in singing and dressing up, so when I saw him in SIAM 2, I was curious about how he would fare. He did great. He even won the May Finals and went on to the Grand Showdown which was held in July.
That's Michael over there. Picture taken at Zirkoh in November last year. Bangenge ako dahil sa beer. Huwag niyo nang itanong kung ilang bote! Nakakahiya!
Unfortunately, like Christian Bautista, Michael was voted out on the second to the last episode of SIAM 2. The judges thought that his vocal range wasn't versatile enough, so they bade him goodbye. I was super disappointed. To think that it was the first time I actually showed my support like THAT (I went to the 3rd, 4th and 5th Grand Showdown episodes and screamed my lungs out for Michael). He also ranked number four among the contestants.
This season's Search for the Star in a Million (SFTSIAM) certainly got a lot of criticism from the viewers. Maraming nagsabing hindi masyadong talented ang mga nakasali. Walang star quality. Sana raw ni-retain yung dating format, dahil yung latest season parang naging masyadong pambata. This and lots more have been said (thanks to PinoyExchange and Peyups), but I still tried to catch the show every week.
My personal bet this season was Jona Lumbera. I was surprised at her vocal range when I first heard her sing "My Immortal" by Evanescence. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, siya na ang bet ko. I was worried though, when the Finals Showdown came because it seemed like all the other contestants didn't like her. Natatakot daw ang mga ito sa kanya dahil nakakatakot daw makatingin. (Wow... nakakaloka ang reason! Di ko kinaya!)
My bet in this season's Search for the Star in a Million, Jona Lumbera, who ranked fourth overall in the competition. I bet she'll soon be number one.
Tonight, she was the second one to be voted out. As it was with Christian and Michael, she ranked fourth among the contestants. I was, once more, really disappointed because I really liked her voice. It was very clear, and she could take on difficult songs like "The Way it Used to Be" which she sang with Bituin Escalante in their Cebu episode.
I didn't know where she went wrong. I actually feel stupid now because I keep on figuring out whyshe was voted out before Mabel Bacusmo was. No offense to Mabel's fans, but I didn't like the way she "gurgled" out her songs. She eats up her words like they were her dinner. Nakakainis pa, the scores were not consistently shown on-screen unlike the past SIAM seasons. Dati, once na makita mo ang scores ng judges, you'll have an idea kung ano ang mangyayari susunod, but now, you're left clueless.
Ang masama pa roon, sometimes the judges don't articulate their criticisms (I won't name names anymore.) that's why you're left hanging. I think it was better before na you could really see how the contestants fared for every challenge. Alam ng lahat how each judge scored for them. Ngayon... well... wala.
So anyway, all I want to say is that I'm disappointed that SIAM and SFTSIAM put me down thrice already. My trending is the same though. My bets always place fourth. Nevertheless, I feel confident for Jona's career. Why?
[1] Christian Bautista was the first from SIAM 1 who recorded a solo album. Michael Cruz was the first from SIAM 2 who released an album apart from the SIAM 2 collection.
[2] Christian's songs became famous around the country and in other countries like Indonesia, as well. Michael's first single Crazy for You is doing well in the charts right now also.
[3] Christian is becoming a staple in television shows. Heck, he even has his own soap coming soon! Michael is slowly making himself visible on TV with his guestings and appearances.
Things come in threes, alright! And if the trend follows, then Jona Lumbera might just have a crack at an album soon... and then everything else will follow. I just wish Jona the best. Her talent and her determination to succeed will bring her wherever she wants to be. And I'll probably just have the last laugh (once again) when she makes it to the top first before this year's Grand Champion does. Way to go, gurl!
* Sunday, May 15, 2005 *
National Jolographic signing on!
To all the people who've been reading my very first blog, Jologs with Style, I'm inviting you to join me and my jologs side here in National Jolographic. I'm not saying this is an improved blog... I actually just played around with Photoshop and the old layout, but I will strive to post more, improved, and more importantly, jolographically-inclined entries here.
The best is yet to come. Or so I would like to believe.
This is National Jolographic, now signing on!
Tara is an addict. 'Nuff said, I guess.
^__^ She likes drinking coffee. So much so that coffee composes 50% of her bodily fluids.
She loves:
1. Lee Dong Gun
2. taking long naps ('di na kaya nap yun kung LONG!)
3. watching KR dramas/movies
4. playing around with Photoshop
5. surfing the net
6. karaoke!!! (Total Eclipse of the Heart!)
7. bargain clothes
10. literature
WARNING: May confuse fictional life with reality. Refer to blog for details.
|
|
Siyempre ngayon ko lang naisip maglagay ng counter... Babo imnida!
Mesothelioma
No plagiarism, period.
Ang makulit, iihawin ko!
Happy Birthday, Dong Gun oppa!
Yongwonhi saranghae...
Love Me Until...
Pilot: November 01, 2005
Chapters 001 and 002 are up! Read them here.
on My Cloudy Eyed Girl
Finished: October 12, 2005
Read the rest of the chapters here.
[ Currently listening to ]
Heaven Knows (This Angel Has Flown)
Orange & Lemons
To My Wonderful Girl
Lee Dong Gun
Here, There & Everywhere
The Beatles
Melt With You
Jason Mraz
Don Romantiko
Crazy For You
I'm Sorry, I Love You
She's Out of My Life
You & I Will Travel Far
Picture Perfect
Heaven Knows (The Angel Has Flown)
05/01/2005 - 06/01/2005
Vhong Navarro
Lee Dong Gun
800 x 600 > click!
So Ji Sub | Im Soo Jung
800 x 600 > click!
Lee Dong Gun
800 x 600 > click!
Jeon Ji Hyun & Jung Woo Sung
800 x 600 > click!
Kim Rae Won & Im Soo Jung
800 x 600 > click!
Orange & Lemons
There are times
when I'm lying in my bed
Hug my pillow and cry
from this tip again
And my eyes are like windshields
on a rainy day
Almost rubbed down,
swelling, as I keep on
Dipping my face in these
cold hands of mine
Heaven knows how bitter I am
Chorus
'Cause this angel has
flown away from me
Leaving me in drunken misery
I should have clipped her wings
and made her mine
For all eternity
Now this angel has
flown away from me
Thought I had the strength
to set her free
Did what I did because
I love her so
Will she ever find
her way back home to me
Aah...
I'm so tired,
I feel like catching forty winks
Being up all night
in this elbow room
That puts me in a trance
Where hopes and
dreams come true
Now my lips are burning
and my eyes are hurting
From this fuse I mixed
till I light another
Cigarette just to pass my time, oh
Heaven knows how bitter I am
* lyrics credit *
Mikesterz, Inc.
Kapamilya Ko
Lee Dong Gun Official
Kwon Sang Woo Official
PinoyExchange
Peyups
The Fab Five
Friendster
Happy Tree Friends [PG-13]
Blogspot
click on the thumbnails to view the actual pictures... you can also leave your comments!
06/01/2005 - 07/01/2005
07/01/2005 - 08/01/2005
08/01/2005 - 09/01/2005
09/01/2005 - 10/01/2005
10/01/2005 - 11/01/2005
11/01/2005 - 12/01/2005
12/01/2005 - 01/01/2006
01/01/2006 - 02/01/2006