That U2 & GREEN DAY Song

MASH-UPs
are what Superstar Duets are called these days.



The best recent example was
Paul McCartney + Jay-Z + Linkin Park
in the 2006 Grammy Awards,
and the three managed to morph "Numb:Encore"
into "Yesterday".

As anticipated,
Five Generations of Music Fans went
Absolutely NUTS!!!


note:
Jay-Z also gives props to another Beatle~
take a closer look at his T-shirt.





And now,
after previous mash-ups with artists
ranging from Sinatra to Pavarotti,
Bono sings one with Billie Joe Armstrong,
lead singer of arguably this generation's Punk Icons,
Green Day.



The song starts off sounding like a U2 anthem;

but the song is instantly familiar,
as it is The Animals "House of the Rising Sun".

Both bands are shown in a recording studio,
Bono beside Billie Joe,
The Edge & Adam Clayton standing tall
beside Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt,
then....
Larry Mullen and Tre' Cool go nuts with their drums,

and the song becomes a hyperkinetic Rave-Up,
"The Saints Are Coming"!!!
It's an Instant Classic.

And the video?

Midway into it,
it turns into a Jerry Bruckheimer SFX spectacular,
complete with Air Force jets and helicopters
zooming into....


well, I won't ruin the surprise.

Watch the video below;
suffice to say,
it's from Bono,
so expect a very strong political statement.

Clue?
the action takes place in the city mentioned
in the very 1st line of that awesome Animals song.

007 & B007E: Shaken not Stirred

Cool.
The very first blog entry I'll compose while inebriated.

It's 2:48 a.m.,
and my best buddies and I just finished our pre-Halloween party,
a Scotch-San Mig Pale Pilsen-Sisig-Chicharon Bulaklak/Manok night.

Just as well,
I'll be writing about liquor anyway,
and what better way to do so, than when all boozed up?



Let's talk about the MARTINI.

The classic Lounge Cocktail.
The simplest one to make,
yet the one with the most complicated variations.

For the Martini virgin,
it's really quite easy,
as the recipe above states.
Gin or Vodka + Vermouth + Olive(s).

However,
Martinis are the ZEN drinks of any bar.

Ephemeral & Elusive, but quite striking;
Simple, yet Complex;
A Classic, but always New;
Elegant, yet definitely Dangerous.

Just like James Bond.




It's difficult to separate 007 from the Martini,
his signature drink;

and thanks to Bond author Ian Fleming,
"Shaken, not Stirred"
is already a permanent part of our lexicon.

I've been wanting to try Martinis ever since
I saw my first Bond, James Bond film
back in the 1970s,
in the late, lamented ODEON Theater
at the corner of Recto and Avenida Rizal.

The movie was DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER.
Like 007, Shirley Bassey's theme song was a killer,

and certain facets of the movie were instantly
permanently etched in my impressionable young mind:

Bond always gets the girl.
Bond always gets the best gadgets.
Bond always gets to go to the most exotic places.
Bond always gets to drink the best Martinis.



20 movies on,
Bond still is quite the drinker,
as evidenced by the picture above.

Daniel Craig,
the 6th actor to get the License to Kill
(not counting David Niven, as a Bond caricature
in the misguided original Casino Royale, a spoof)
seems to love his alcohol too.

The new CASINO ROYALE opens in MMLA Theaters
on November 15, 4 days before my birthday.

It's a perfect gift for this lifelong 007 fan,
and yes,

I'll celebrate both milestones with a MARTINI...

Shaken,
not Stirred.

Don't Dare Miss: FIGHT SCIENCE on NatGeo

If you were blown away by the CGI effects in HOLLOW MAN;




If you were enthralled by the fighting
techniques and weapons in these films:







And,
if you ever wondered if the Pinoy ARNIS is a legit martial art,

Then, Whatever You Do,
DO. NOT. MISS. THIS!!!

FIGHT SCIENCE
next weekend on the National Geographic channel:

4 November, 9.00pm

5 November, 1.00am

5 November, 10.00am

and

11 November, 4.00pm



from the NatGeo Channel website:


Their tales are legendary.

Born in Asia's mystical temples,
perfected on ancient battlefields
and now made famous by Hollywood,
superhuman feats of martial arts are often depicted in movies—

but how do these martial myths measure up to fighting fact?



For the first time,
infrared cameras and computerized test dummies
allow engineers to exactly calculate
the incredible physics and physiology
that produce martial arts' devastating force—



at last, separating cinematic stunts from astonishing reality.

Chef Tony's POP-fest!!!

I've probably used up thousands of napkins,
endured countless butter stains on my shirts,
and surreptitiously wiped my oily fingers on my jeans
(and those of my dates') dozens of times.

All for the love of Movie Theater POPCORN.

The oversize overpriced buckets,
glistening with that unnatural yellow oil,
liberally sprinkled with salt;

artificial ingredients galore,
unhealthy but sooo tasty!!!




No big surprise then,
that when I first tasted CHEF TONY'S POP-ular creations,
it was Love at First Bite.

CORN-y, but true.

So when my friend PENNY invited a few foodies
to try out the New Popcorn Flavors of Chef Tony,
I said YES! faster than you could say ORVILLE REDENBACHER!)

(Orville spent over 60 years developing a corn hybrid
unlike any other;
he created and tested over 40,000 varieties,
until he found the one that popped up perfectly
light, fluffy, and tasty enough to meet his standards.

They are the same standards that have made
Orville Redenbacher's® Gourmet® Popping Corn
the #1 selling Popcorn Brand in the United States.)



CHEF TONY is the Philippines' Orville Redenbacher.
The Willy Wonka of Popcorn!!

Even better,
CT's creations are from All-Natural Ingredients,
Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol,
a Great Source of Fiber,
and to be completely honest,
also a Great Source of Sugar!

But when you're giving yourself a treat,
who's really counting calories, baby?



And so,
together with the Young & the Reckless popcorn loving bloggers~~
Kasuy,
Gin,
Anton, &
Yuga~~
we embarked on the POPFEST!

While we each had our biases:
salty vs. sweet, classic vs. fancy, etc., etc.,
we all agreed on one thing:
Chef Tony's is Da Bomb!!!

... and that's no Poppycock!




CHEESE ME, CHEESE ME, CHEESE ME
'TIL I LOSE CONTROL

PARMESAN Perfection:
worthy of Mario Batali.





I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHOCOLATE,
JUST LIKE THE ONE I USED TO KNOW...

True Confession Time:
I never eat Toblerone White,
but I'm now addicted to Tony's WHITE CHOCOLATE WALNUT.





CHINONG DAKILA?
CHINO ANG TUNAY NA NAKAKABALIW?

Nababaliw sa MOCHACHINO na ito:
Kape at Tsokolate na, may "Almonds" pa, walang tatalo!!!





THE ORIGINAL CIN!

Dream on white corn...
Dream on cinammon...
And wake up to a brand new taste,
CINAMMON BUTTER has come your way!





BLINDED BY THE LIGHT!
REVVED UP BY THE BUTTER,
LIKE A DAIRY IN YOUR MOUTH!

Classic Light Butter Taste,
Easy on the Sugar,
the Health Buff's Choice!




YOU'VE GOT THE POWER TO KNOW,
YOU'RE INDESTRUCTIBLE,
ALWAYS BELIEVE IN, BECAUSE YOU ARE...

GOLD-ilocks Classic Caramel Popcorn.
Our Childhood Pasalubong Favorite,
re-interpreted by Chef Tony!!





OH, SWEET DARLIN'
YOU GET THE PESTO MY LOVE,
OH, SWEET DARLING....

Alright, even I have to admit that pun was horrific.
Oh well, don't worry, this Best Of PESTO isn't!!!

I'd like it better not-sweet at all,
to complete that Basil-Olive Oil pasta simulation,
and Chef Tony, do add Pine Nuts to the mix!!!





For Christmas,
CT will release at least Two Seasonal Specials.
Advance word has it that these will likely be:

PEPPERMINT CANDY CANE
and
MACADAMIA CHOCOLATE SWIRL!!

Can't Wait!!!


Poor Baby Gene...
all those Mean Adults will eat all the popcorn again!!



Chef Tony's Popcorn Hotline:
0917-500-CORN

The Ultimate BEACH CD

Boracay, 1988:

Paradise Found.

No electricity.
No cable TV or ferris wheels.
No D'Mall, Andok's, or Hobbit House.

No empty mineral H20 bottles littering the pure white,
just kids literally buried up to their necks with glee.



75% of the tourists were European backpackers.
Most of the causcasian females, young or old, hot or not,
were topless.

15% of the visitors were from nearby Iloilo,
so much so that after spending a week there,
I'd come home with a slight Ilonggo accent, di bala?



The remaining 10% were the first brave Manila beach bums
who had to endure an hour of extremely dusty unpaved roads
in the final stretch leading up to Caticlan,
and end up looking like "Espasol" as they boarded the bancas.

Only one kind of beer was available:
PALE PILSEN.
More often than not, served barely cold,
as ice was the island's most precious commodity,
and had to be shipped in daily from Aklan;

Avenja's (Avendia's?) was the only Fruit Shake source,
with branches in each of the 3 Stations~~
(the shakes served in those large thick glasses
that Blend 45 used to come packaged in)

but no one really cared,
most of us were high on The Beach,
and its music...




It seemed that all through that 1st trip to Boracay,
(there was none of that "BORA" pa-sozy nonsense then)

there were only two tapes that were played
all throughout the island:
(1988 was 2 years before CDs became the main media for music)


Bob Marley's Greatest Hits compilation, LEGEND
and
Enya's Debut Album, WATERMARK.



San Miguel Beer & Choco-Peanut-Banana Shakes,
Unobstructed Sunsets & Unsullied Sands,
Topless White Chicks & Malambing Southern Belles,

all merged together with
NO WOMAN, NO CRY & ORINOCO FLOW

to create an indelible impression of Boracay THEN,
when the bars were incidental,
and the beaches were integral.



That's why I love the CD pictured at the very top;

you can't get any more aurally sundrenched
than when you're listening to native Brazilians
doing that Ipanema thing they do.

And when you have the musical descendants of Jobim
with their sensuous breathy vocals,
sexier Enyas singing the legendary Marley songs,
then you have the perfect musical union~~

that ought to make any true beach lover wistful
for the long-gone wonders of what used to be
the best beach in the world.


Bora, 2006:
Paradise Lost.

BOY N the HOODz

Taken around 12-14 years ago,

Danding had just lost in his bid to become President,
Erap was the Vice President,
and I was single-handedly trying to start a NikNik shirt revival.

I'll use this picture again when I decide to run
for Congress, representing the 3rd District of Manila.

(Chinatown & Sta. Cruz reprazent!!!!)

ERAP is Triple X!!!

the "DVD" looks more like a very amateurish
Powerpoint presentation more than anything else,
complete with generic text transition effects.

either that,

or one of those 1970s FM & FL Bagong Lipunan propaganda films.
in this Erap DVD, a similar "Sieg Heil!" martial law-type
soundtrack score is used, the same musical cues
over and over and over again, ad nauseum.

too bad.
with better production values, it could've been explosive.

as it is,
it's not even worth sitting through it's 57-minute running time.


maybe Michael Moore should take a crack at this.....







MANILA, August 23, 2006
(Philippine Star)
By Perseus Echeminada


X-rated.

A documentary on the life of former President Joseph Estrada
has reportedly been given an "X" rating by some members
of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board,
meaning the 57-minute film is unsuitable for public viewing
pending another MTRCB review.

"Ang Buhay Para sa Masa (To Live for the Masses),"
produced by Public Asia Inc.,
is a narrative story on the life of the former president —
from childhood, his school days, his movie career
and entry into politics until the time he was charged
with plunder and put behind bars.

" It’s a newsreel, a narration of actual events,"
Estrada’s lawyer,
former immigration commissioner Rufus Rodriguez,
told The STAR.

Rodriguez said the MTRCB has already conducted a first viewing
and put an X-rating to the documentary,
similar to the controversial bold movies
that are banned from public showing.

He said they have filed for exemption from the MTRCB rating
invoking a Supreme Court ruling that exempts newsreels
from board review and classification.

"The MTRCB’s decision against the airing of the video
was patently unfair and was a violation of the Board’s mandate.
The video dealt exclusively with the life and times
of President Estrada and was based on facts,"
Rodriguez said in a statement.

Rodriguez said the review committee had no problem
with the private life of Estrada,
but they were concerned about the account
after the leader’s ouster which they perceived as "anti-GMA."

"In fact, it can be clearly classified as a newsreel,
meaning it is a short motion picture film dealing with current events.
Thus technically it is not up to the MTRCB to rule on its airing,"
the lawyer said.

ROCKY 6 : rage against the machine

I saw the trailer for this 5th sequel
to the 1976 Best Picture Oscar winner
right before the Oliver Stone snoozefest,
World Trade Center.

The premise was so absurd,
I snorted soda outta my nose.

Picture this:
Rocky Balboa,
showing no traces of the creeping Parkinson's Disease
that he had in Rocky V,

is sitting in a dodgy bar with the now white-haired Paulie;
they see a news item that features a PS2-type game
that matches Rocky with the current champion,
MASON "The Line" DIXON. (puuhhlleeeezzz!!!)



In the computer simulation,
Balboa beats Dixon.

Right there and then,
Rocky decides to challenge Mason.

Cue dramatic Bill Conti music
for the now-formulaic Rocky Training Montage.

Somehow, it's not inspiring anymore.

Just Sad.



YO!
Adrian, Rocky's geeky then glamorous wife,
is nowhere to be seen.

Maybe she died...


... of embarrassment.

NAPOLEON : The Next Big Thing in DONUTS???

Questions & Answers:

Q: Are these donuts out to steal Krispy Kreme's thunder?
A: NO. Not yet, they are only available in the 2nd Floor
Food Court of MEDICAL CITY, as far as I know.

Q: Are these donuts worth the trip and the P40 parking fee?
A: YES. The Strawberry Glazed donuts are the best I've tasted,
beating out GoNuts, HotLoops, Dunkin'Donuts, & Mr. Donut.

Q: Why are these donuts named after Monsieur Bonaparte?
A: NO idea. Although the blurb on the box promises:
"Greatness With Every Bite!"

And to answer your question,
YES, it's a promise fulfilled.

Maybe Napoleon was hiding donuts in his shirts....
hence, his most famous pose:



My kumpare Herb d' Perv,
Medical City's Graphic Artist,
has been convincing me to try these for the longest time.

I finally visited him this morning,
and we went straight up to the Food Court,
just a floor above his office.

A small counter, blink and you'll miss it,
is the 1st NAPOLEON DONUTS store ever.

I'm glad I didn't blink,
because I saw some of the most gorgeous donuts ever:
Jelly Donuts with real Smucker's filling;
Strawberry Glaze with visible berry bits;
The Banana Caramel topped with crushed walnuts!



and the Must Have, Can't Resist, OREO Donuts
which have, instead of a hole in the center,
one carefully peeled Oreo cream filling,
and surrounding it,
a very generous dusting of finely crumbled Oreo cookies.

I ate both my Oreo donuts too quickly to take pix,
but here are some OREO-riffic images from
TheBachelorGirl.com!

To paraphrase Gov. Schwarzenneger,
"I'LL BE BACK...
to Terminate more of these Donuts!"

On SINATRA

One of my favorite CDs is Sinatra's
IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS.

Recorded right after his violent break-up
with Hollywood Goddess Ava Gardner,



this is The Chairman of the Board
at his most vulnerable,
yet also at his strongest.

With Nelson Riddle's spare arrangements
combined with Sinatra at his smokiest,

this is the album every man should have,
the perfect soundtrack to drinking scotch,
cigarette in hand, in solitude at 3am.


*cough!* been there, done that!!



Sinatra comes to mind now
because having just finished reading
J.R. Moehringer's "The Tender Bar",

I've realized that my best friend Dr. HonHon and I,
both Frank Fanatics,
are kindred spirits with barflies
all over the world:

Sinatra is our Patron Saint of
Scotch, Smoke, & Sentimentality.

Moehringer explains it beautifully:

"Sinatra's voice is the voice most men hear in their heads.
It's the paradigm of maleness.
It has the power men strive for,
and the confidence.

And yet when Sinatra is hurt,
busted up,
his voice changes.

Not that the confidence goes away,
but just beneath the confidence
is a strain of insecurity,

and you hear the two impulses warring for his soul,
you hear all the confidence and insecurity
in every note,

because Sinatra lets you hear,
lays himself bare,
which men so seldom do."