DEARTH HOUR

I don't really see the need for us
to observe and participate in "EARTH HOUR",
a noble and worthy worldwide energy conservation effort,
but pretty much moot and academic for MetroManila.

Just last night,between 7pm and 12mn,
MERALCO
already gave a taste of a dearth of electricity:

THREE BROWNOUTS
in that 5-hour span in Sta. Cruz, Manila!

For your added amusement in this "dark comedy",
here's the serious pronouncement from our government
regarding the possibility of a
60-MINUTE CRIME WAVE
due to the Earth Hour:

from:
www.philstar.com


"Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes assured the public
that even if some of the streetlights along the major thoroughfares
in Metro Manila would be temporarily turned off,
it would still be safe for motorists.

As for fears that it would trigger a crime wave,
Reyes said they will coordinate with the Philippine National Police (PNP)
and request that they increase police presence and visibility.

“We are not expecting a total blackout.
We would just turn off the lights on the billboards
and (some establishments such as) McDo’s golden arches.”

D' OH!

MANI PAKYAW!!!

Simply Irresistible:

freshly fried peanuts
loaded with chilis and garlic,

classic Pinoy streetfood
at the corner of España & Morayta in Manila.




"Mani Pakyaw" could be the SMB Pale Pilsen
advertising tagline for a new commercial with Manny Pacquiao,

as a homage to that other all-time great beer & peanut lover,
Gabriel "Flash" Elorde,
beloved for his legendary pulutan request:

"Isang Platitong Mani!!!"

The ATENEO Diaspora in the PBA

I firmly believe that the only way the PBA
can rise up once again to its stellar heights
during the Toyota-Crispa era is to have all the
alumni of Ateneo-La Salle bunched into two teams.

The Easter Sunday "Reunion Game" was a tad too friendly & kind;
I'm positive these players have now become teammates and friends,
but I'm also certain that if the games really matter, their former
animosities will surface once again, leading to fierce, hard battles!

Imagine if Joseph Yeo, Macmac Cardona, Mike Cortez,
Renren Ritualo, Carlo Sharma, Don Allado, Mark Telan,
Ryan Araña, Junjun Cabatu and Willie Wilson were all
on one team, slugging it out on a regular basis with
their arch-enemies from Loyola...

That's a distant reality for now,
what with the constant trades and transfers
of the Green Archers and Blue Eagles in the pro ranks,
as evidenced in the updated list below:


Purefoods:
Enrico Villanueva

Alaska:
LA Tenorio
Larry Fonacier

Ginebra:
Macky Escalona

Talk N Text:
Gec Chia

Air 21:
Doug Kramer
JC Intal

Red Bull:
Rich Alvarez
Paolo Bugia
Magnum Membrere

Magnolia:
Wesley Gonzales

SCHOOL OF ROCK!!!

For the fourth straight week,
David
cooked up an electrifying Rock Remake
of an unexpected retro hit song:

from Hello to Eleanor Rigby to Day Tripper,
and tonight's amazing BILLIE JEAN!
(yup, wacko jacko's moonwalk classic!)

I'm convinced that The Talented Mr. Cook
is now the DAVID to beat this season;
that long sustained note sealed the deal.

And I love the fact that this guy's no poseur;
he knows how to rock, yet he doesn't play it too cool.
He seems genuinely happy to be on the American Idol stage!




Surprisingly,
The (previously seemingly) Untalented Ms. Cook
guaranteed herself another week by unabashedly
waving the American Flag like it was the 4th of July.

Unsurprisingly,
Michael got his groove back by going back
to his macho Michael Hutchence/flaming Freddie Mercury formula
in a We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions medley.

Brooke had a fine start with a music-box version
of The Police's stalker song, Every Breath You Take;

Chikezie did his thing with a soulful homage
to Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and James Ingram.

They were my Top 5
for this night of
"Songs from the Year they were Born".




Now, let's meet my Bottom 5,
starting with two characters from
"The Simpsons"...


SIDESHOW BOB, a.k.a. Syesha:
same hair, same smug and self-aware attitude,
both seem to feel that they are more talented
than they really are.



OTTO the schoolbus driver, a.k.a. Jason Castro:
same hair, same laid-back doofus attitude,
both seem to be quite dazed and confused,
not too aware of where they really are.




The two early frontrunners
must be feeling the pressure:

David Archuleta turned in another vanilla performance,
and is threatening to be the next Barry Manilow;

Carly Smithson had a total eclipse of her final note,
and she looks too stern when she sings, almost threatening.



And finally,
at the very bottom, needing a miracle,

or a million or so text votes from Pinoys in the U.S.A.,
is my favorite high-waisted, high-heeled girl, Ramiele.

She looked exactly like Sarah Geronimo in her make up,
but she sounded exactly like chalk screeching on a blackboard.

Good Luck, and Get Well soon;
that must really be a bad cold, honey!

If You Post an OPINION in Your BLOG and No One Reads It, is it LIBEL?

The post-modern equivalent of this
classic philosophical riddle:

"If a tree falls in a forest
and no one is around to hear it,
does it make a sound?"

Brian's Blog has now gone beyond
mere gossip and salacious controversy;

it's now turning into a precedent for bloggers' parameters,
and a test case for the boundaries of FREE SPEECH on the web.



The issue now raises questions about what constitutes
LIBEL, INFORMATION DISSEMINATION,
PUBLIC ACCESS, TRUTH, OPINIONS,
ACCOUNTABILITY, and flat out CENSORSHIP
in this age of Information Technology.



It may lead to intricate analyses on what a "blog" really is:

is it a
PERSONAL JOURNAL for Public Viewing,
or is it a
PUBLIC DOCUMENT from a Personal Perspective?



I was in the mood to pick a fight with Abe Olandres,
the Philippines' Top Maven of Blogging,
when he posted this on Yugatech:

"Here’s what could get bloggers into trouble if they’re covering the issue.

> Publicly mentioning names of people being exposed in the blog.
> Posting pictures of the people being named by Brian Gorrell in his blog.
> Publishing the URL of the blog or linking to the blog.
> Quoting a libelous sentence on the blog
or re-publishing/summarizing allegations thereof."

Alright, I admit,
I wanted to "shoot the messenger"!

Sorry, Yuga!
I know you were being helpful, and actually
giving important advice to your fellow bloggers.

(Yuga's already been a defendant in an internet libel case
which has since been dropped by the plaintiff)



Still,
it galls me to note that merely publishing the URL,
or simply linking to a website can get me into trouble.

That's akin to saying that if I tell my friends about
a hard-hitting Mon Tulfo column,
I could also be sued for "libel".

That's tantamount to muzzling my ability to speak,
and in my book, that's CENSORSHIP, pure and simple.



I believe in self-regulation
and I'm advocate of responsible writing,

and I intrinsically believe that the greatest gain
we achieved through EDSA I was the return of Press Freedom.


Our Philippine Revolutions
have all arisen from the power of words,

from Rizal's Noli and Fili, to the
Malaya and We Forum mosquito press after Ninoy's killing,
to the millions of text messages during EDSA DOS,

the pure and simple act of writing
has been the catalyst of change for the Filipino.



In this Age of Information,
the traditional trimedia won't be the main means
of influencing opinion and creating action:

BLOGS,
with their added advantage of access and immediacy,
will be central to the next revolutions.
(no big surprise why China is sooo wary about the 'net)


And to find out that this new technology,
this free and unfettered medium of the everyman,

is now severely under fire from outdated libel laws
and under siege from insecure powers-that-be,

leads to a sobering realization of its POWER,
and an urgent impetus for us to protect it as
we would safeguard our very own FREEDOM.

Are You a SIMON, RANDY, PAULA, or RYAN?

Find out HERE!!!

It's Our Turn to Pray for CORY

She's probably worn down dozens of rosaries
praying for our Philippines and all of us Pinoys,
it's time that we do the same for her...

I felt my eyes mist up as I watched the news this evening,
about President Cory's first chemotherapy treatment;

two of the toughest stalwarts of the Aquino Administration,
Manila Mayor Fred Lim and Congressman Teddyboy Locsin
had a difficult time holding back tears as well,
as they offered their encouragement, prayers, and support
to their former boss.



I guess we all feel like crying
because all of sudden,

we're faced with the stark reality
that we could lose the lady who has been
our country's only true moral compass since 1986,
when she won the battle of her life;

and

we're confronted by the fact
that our quiet source of strength
this quarter of a century since 1983,
is now facing the battle for her life.

I guess we all feel like crying
because we all realize that

talagang parang Nanay na rin natin si Cory.

Bring RICK ASTLEY to Manila!!!

Why?

Because...

Pie Chart from Chuvaness!


Swing Out Sister,
Toto, and Duran Duran
this summer.

Madonna in July, maybe;

and hopefully,
U2 in October...


All great acts,
All from the 1980s!!!

But when is
The Best Male Singer
(according to Roderick Paulate)
of that decade coming to town?



Calling MTV Philippines and all the concert promoters out there,
Rick Astley will be a guaranteed surefire blockbuster!!!

What are you waiting for?!?!!?!

Never Gonna Give You Up
Whenever You Need Somebody
Together Forever
It Would Take A Strong Strong Man
The Love Has Gone
Don't Say Goodbye
Slipping Away
No More Looking For Love
You Move Me
When I Fall In Love

OPEN WHEN?

Krispy Kreme Ayala Ave.

> on the right side of Ayala
just past the corner of Herrera
if you're driving towards EDSA.

How were these Easter Egg donuts?
I missed them completely!
(No KK: that was my abstinence/sacrifice for Lent)

HAPPY EASTER!!!

HAPAG NG PAG-ASA

a perfect PINOY reflection
for this Holy Week,

with gratitude to the artist,
Joey A. Velasco

"Hapag ng Pag-asa"

A year after he finished the canvas,
the artist sought out the street kids
who were painted as the apostles in "HAPAG";

the real stories of the children
are collected in the affecting book below:

JUMPER on DiBiDi : almost as fast as TELEPORTATION

Released worldwide on
Valentine's Day 2008,
and now already the

#2 Top Seller in Quiapo...

second only to Pacquiao-Marquez II,
which came out on DBD even faster...

it was already available last Sunday night,
just hours after the fight!!!

Were You CONVINCED?

During the past fights of Manny Pacquiao,
the text messages would fly fast and furious,
before, during, and after the fight,

from those watching PayPerView,
those listening to ringside AM radio coverage,
those monitoring the fight online,
and those who chose to slog through endless TV commercials.

The tone of the messages would vary wildly;
from cautious optimism,
swing to severe pessimism,
and ultimately, to wild elation.



It's very strange,
but yesterday, I only received ONE text message;
one single message the WHOLE day,

and my friend who sent it after the decision,
more than anything,
seemed relieved to get a reprieve.


I didn't feel that palpable Pinoy pride
that swelled in all of us after the Morales and Barrera wars.

It seemed to me that no one really
wanted to talk about the win over Marquez...



Now,
there's no argument that we deeply love Pacman and his fighting heart,
despite his Lito Atienza-led entourage
(sino magsusundo sa iyo sa airport, manny?)
and his well-documented Embassy shenanigans
(watch out for the Gucci Gang, pacman!);


however,
Filipinos are the most intelligent boxing fans
in the world,

and yesterday,
most of us realized, accepted,
and understood deep down,
that despite his being knocked down in the 3rd,

MARQUEZ WUZ ROBBED!

Senator Angara's ACHA ACHA ACHA!!!!

You know how silly those song & dance scenes are
in Bollywood movies?

This silly sequence will top them all....

'Noli-Vi tandem a blockbuster in 2010'

By Charlie Lagasca
Saturday, March 15, 2008
www.philstar.com

Sen. Edgardo Angara yesterday described
the possible electoral tandem of
Vice President Noli de Castro and Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto
that was being floated as the
"Philippines' Broadway and Bollywood."

De Castro, also known as Kabayan,
is a former popular broadcast journalist,

while the Batangas governor,
"Ate Vi" to her fans,
is an icon of Philippine cinema.


Angara said the Noli-Vilma ticket for 2010
is the Philippine version of a Broadway or Bollywood ticket
since this shows the big influence of movies on Philippine politics.

how the PHILIPPINE SENATE turned into AMERICAN IDOL!!!

America's #1 Reality TV Show,
AMERICAN IDOL on the Fox Network

and

The Philippines' #1 Reality TV Show,
ZTE BROADBAND HEARINGS on ANC,

have each given birth to new Idols:

both are diminutive, and
both instantly captured the hearts of their fellow Pinoys,
because both are prone to crying copious tears!

Ramiele Malubay surely is a fine singer,
and as for Jun Lozada,
who's surely fine-tuned all of his statements,
magaling talaga siyang "kumanta"!

Ryan Seacrest hosts American Idol,
and often gets surprised by the results;
sometimes, his too-cute antics can be irritating;

Sen. Ping Lacson hosted many dinners
for the Senate's "surprise witnesses";

sometimes, the Senator gets irritated
when he doesn't get the results that he wants
because his witnesses try to be too cute.

Randy Jackson and Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano
always get to speak first on the "Judges' Table";

Sen. Allan gets hot when he thinks the country is going to the dogs,
and Randy doesn't seem to think, and always says
"that was hot, dawg!!!"

Both of them also tend to repeat themselves quite often,
because most of their singers and witnesses tend to be "pitchy".

Things would be so dull without
Sen. Jamby Madrigal and Paula Abdul,
the two ladies who consistently deliver
the most spectacular non-sequiturs in their respective shows;

airhead Paula's thoughts and language
are all about glorious beauty and colors,

and heiress Sen. Jamby's language gets colorful
whenever she thinks about the "beauty" of Gloria!

And finally,
Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Simon Cowell,
the most erudite characters in these shows;

both are curmudgeons always ready with a cantankerous comment,
and often,
both can barely disguise their contempt for what they have to endure...

"because, if I'm being honest,
most of the people they have to listen to
seem to be doing karaoke,
are slightly cabaret,
and are really quite appalling!!!"

MEAT THE BEATLES : how to butcher the songs of John & Paul on American Idol

I've been addicted to American Idol since 2004,
when Season 3 burst into Philippine TV screens,
the flames fanned by the presence of two Pinays,
Camille Velasco and Jasmine Trias in the Top 12.

And since then,
I've been waiting for the IDOLS to sing
the songs of my original idols, THE BEATLES.



Tonight, I got my wish.

The Best American Idol Top 12 ever,
singing what simply are,
The Best Songs,
EVER!

But,
as the old backhanded saying goes,
"be careful what you wish for, you just might get it"!

So here it is,
how the Top 12 of Season 7 carved out the Beatles,
from horrible slashes to fine cuts,
ranked from Worst to Best, twelve to one.



This...

is AMERICAN IDOL!!!


12. Kristy Lee Cook
"Eight Days a Week"
> it was a little bit country, a little bit polka,
and definitely all covered in country cottage cheese.
Kristy and her mad fiddlers Hee Haw-ed a classic.




11. David Hernandez
"I Saw Her Standing There"
> imagine Sanjaya prancing around like a Wham-era George Michael
in a High School Musical production disaster. . .
David was so corny, he made the band sound bad.




10. David Archuleta
"We Can Work it Out"
> how could you forget the freakin' lyrics? Twice!
You are no Stevie Wonder, boy wonder!
BOO! BOO!! BOO!!!




9. Syesha Mercado
"Got to Get You into My Life"
> synthetic plastic generic version of the soulful
Earth, Wind, & Fire arrangement.
Syesha's just way too artificial for me.




8. Michael Johns
"Across the Universe"
> just bland and boring; watch the movie instead.
Not bad, but Michael seems to have reached his peak
with his Bohemian rhapsodizing during Hollywood week.




7. Amanda Overmyer
"You Can't Do That"
> Elvis is in the building! From the stance to the dance,
the nurse with the Bride of Frankenstein hairstyle
is now the rockin' Daughtry of Elvis!




6. Jason Castro
"If I Fell"
> the original soared when John & Paul harmonized,
and Jason sang alone and couldn't reach the high notes,
but you gotta admit, his goofy folkie charm does work.




5. Carly Smithson
"Come Together"
> this is a dirty, gritty, sexy song,
and Carly came out and growled and prowled the stage.
Sing a U2 song for me next, honey. You rock!!!




4. Brooke White
"Let it Be"
> just pure sincerity coming at me in waves through the TV;
it's obvious that she's the biggest Beatles fan among the 12,
"and I love her", to quote Lennon-McCartney~




3. Ramiele Malubay
"In My Life"
> so I'm biased, sue me for loving my own!
The judges called it boring, but I call it soothing;
Ramiele's is a new kind of diva, pure crystal clear vocal beauty.




2. David Cook
"Eleanor Rigby"
> one of the Beatles' saddest songs, and slightly sinister too;
perfect for the new maven of rock remakes, the talented Mr. Cook.

And when the stage lights supernova-ed
as David ripped into the chorus,
I swore I saw and heard the second coming of Eddie Vedder!




1. Chikezie Eze
"She's a Woman"
> The Beatles actually started out as a skiffle band,
not unlike the band that started playing the song with Chikezie;

and like the music of the boys from Liverpool,
from simple beginnings,
the song built up, rocked out,
and went into wonderful new directions.

And just like that,
this season's underdog vaulted into a top dawg position,
thanks to a hyper-active, ultra-joyful soulful rendition!