The Carver's House

Limited stocks of the Zaturnnah Muzikal soundtrack are up for sale, according to the mega-talented Vince deJesus. Jump to his Multiply page for more information . :-)

The first time I saw Paula Abdul was in 1988, through the video, (It's Just) The Way That You Love Me . Tapdancing and Top40 weren't exactly a prizewinning combo in the late-80s, but she definitely stood out. Though that single didn't even break into the Top 40, it would be re-released the following year after the mega-success of the singles Straight Up, Forever Your Girl and Cold-Hearted . I bought all her studio albums (on cassettes) except the remix compilation. As she continued to bag one hit after another, my friend and I would joke about her voice. ("Kung mananalo siya ng award, magpapasalamat siya sa Macintosh computers for her voice.") Note that when her hit Rush, Rush came out, Mariah Carey had just hit the scene, Madonna was vogueing as Breathless Mahoney, Janet Jackson was ruling Rhythm Nation, and Whitney Houston was raking in the moolah with I'm Your Baby Tonight . Paula seemed to be the odd-girl out among the powerhouse divas, the light-footed...

Last Saturday, I sacrificed sleep time in favor of filling up the day with three plays. The first was PETA's Skin Deep , a satiric romp on the ups and downs of cosmetic surgery written by Vince de Jesus. (I was late for this one--the show was 10 in the morning.) Mid-afternoon found me at the University of The Philippines for Dulaang UP's Orosman at Zafira , penned in verse by Francisco Balagtas, but reworked with music and stunning choreography, complemented by delicious production design. After dinner, it was intimate theater with Last Order sa Penguin , the Palanca award-winning play of Chris Martinez. I'm not the best at providing critique for shows like these, but suffice to say I liked them all at varying levels. Then again, it was a bit tough keeping my mind 100% open throughout the day because of the sleep deprivation, but it wasn't enough to stop me from being entertained. Thanks to those who offered complimentary tickets. You know who you are. I really would li...

Enteng Kabisote 4 This franchise has proven to be a top moneymaker ever since the first installment came out, so the producers should have been gracious enough to actually invest a little more money to make it really good across all aspects of moviemaking. But life can be unfair. So unfair. The Good: The flashbacks using footage from Okey Ka, Fairy Ko . An unnecessarily long-winded sequence, but great for nostalgia . Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo The first movie ( Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo ) is light years better than this. There were a number of good laughs here, but three-fourths into the episodic Sakal... , I began to wonder if the movie would ever end. The Good: Director Jose Javier Reyes' cameos. Resiklo For all its CG and production design efforts, Resiklo suffered from its own ambitions. The Good: Mylene Dizon, who unfortunately had only a bit part; and the first battle of the resiklo robot; CG is improving overall.

Now I have no grudge against the subject, but for the sake of objectivity, please please please edit this Wikipedia entry if you feel you have some authority on the matter, and can do so while remaining calm. Thanks.

It's an old issue from August. But what the hey... "On the next day of launch, we discovered a design flaw. Nagkaroon po ng dalawang number sa isang wheel. The next day po, we immediately corrected it." -- statement of ABS-CBN on the "Wilyonaryo" game fixing controversy A new twist to the issue stems from a video that shows a rehearsal session for the Wilyonaryo segment. So is it really a design flaw? Despite the video, ABS-CBN has brushed the issue aside , given the recent tussle with the Kapuso network over Nielsen ratings.

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After what seemed like forever, the Film Academy of the Philippines released its official list of nominations for the 25th Luna Awards. The Luna Awards is the Philippine equivalent to the Oscars, wherein industry practitioners call the shots. For this year's race, Star Cinema's Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo earned top nods with eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. In close second is Unitel Pictures' Inang Yaya with six noms, including Best Picture, though director duo Veronica Velasco and Pablo Biglang-Awa weren't cited. The three other Best Picture contenders are Centerstage Productions' Kaleldo , Star Cinema's Sukob , and MLR Films' Kubrador . These three films earned four nominations each. A total of 26 films bagged nominations, with both commercial and indie films represented. To me, the oddity of the lot is Sukob . Apart from Picture and Director nods, the horror hit's other two nominations are for Supporting Actor a...

If you haven't seen this yet, be prepared for a good chuckle. Animation shorts from MTV Japan featuring two rabbits in prison. There are 20 installments, I believe, across a number of videos up until the rabbits escape. It's a nice respite.

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The are social networking sites, and then there are specialized social networking sites. One of those is Comicspace , where many a comics fan or creator are already a member of. Another site that's piqued my interest of late is Sketchfu , a site where you get to exercise your artistic skills via a digital canvass. Unlike that interactive monstrosity that is Facebook , Sketchfu only requires you to draw, or browse through other's masterpieces and leave a comment or cheer. The control panel for the canvass doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. The brush sizes are very limited, and so's the color palette. And, if you're using a mouse, be prepared to develop carpal tunnel syndrome if you're thinking of creating something ambitious. (Gets me one step closer to procuring a tablet. Hmmm...) Learn how to draw cartoons, comics, and anime at Sketchfu! The image shown is one of the few drawings I've done on Sketchfu. As I've said in other posts, I'm not too...

Amazon recently released its e-book reader, christened Kindle, a portable device that can store up to 200 books, magazines, and other publications which a user can download through Amazon. Downloading is done through the mobile phone network, not WiFi. Its plus-features include a non-glare screen, thanks to e-paper technology. The unit's weight is comparable to ordinary books, and it has a built-in dictionary in case you want to look up a word. More research can be done through a link to Wikipedia. You can also annotate pages and change the type size. There are no monthly charges--you only pay for the unit and the books you buy or the newspapers and magazines you subscribe to--since Amazon pays for the access. And what you order supposedly makes it to your Kindle in a minute or less. Sounds like a dream come true for many reading aficionados--imagine bringing a whole library of books on a long trip. But Amazon wants you to dole out $399.00 for the convenience, and because its funct...

If you guys have the time, do check out this online novel by a good pal o' mine, Palanca-award winner David Hontiveros . His dark fantasy novellas Takod , Craving , and Parman are still available at the bookstores. The online novel is entitled Pelicula . What's Pelicula about? Well, take your average Joe named Luis Conrado who shot to fame playing the role of a superhero in one of those fantaseryes . But Luis Conrado's got powers. Real superpowers. Thing is, he's not the only bloke in the showbiz industry with superpowers. And some of them are pretty nasty. The first few chapters are now online. Do check them out. The site will be updated weekly. Also at the site, a gallery of Habagat (that's the name of the superhero). With illustrations by me, Ian Sta, Maria, Kajo Baldisimo, Bow Guerrero, Ronnie Tres Reyes, Dennis Crisostomo, Arvie Villenia, Reno Maniquis, Oliver Pulumbarit, Aldin Viray, and Edgar Tadeo. If you know anyone who might be interested in the story,...

In English, "Comic Connect," "Comicon Connection," etc. It would make a nice name for a Pinoy Comics Consortium, eh? Anyway... During the past Komikons, parati akong late. Kaya this time, pinagsikapan kong gumising nang maaga kahit tatlong oras lang ang tulog ko. Okey lang 'yun dahil minsan lang sa isang taon ang Komikon. Sinigurado kong gawing sleeveless ang aking suot, dahil base sa experience sa mga nakaraang Komikon ay pagpapawisan ako ng katakut-takot. Pagdating ko sa UP Bahay Ng Alumni, ang itinanghal na "Hall of Justice" ng iilang taga-UP, agad-agad kong hinanap si Jonas Diego dahil ipinagkaloob niya sa amin ang bahaging espasyo sa kanyang malawak na mesa. Thanks a million, Jonas! Ang guwapo mo! Tamang-tama at nandoon si David Hontiveros, ang manunulat ng Penumbra novellas. Dalian naming isinet-ap ang aming bilihan. Maya't-maya'y sinamahan kami nina Marco Dimaano (Angel Ace) at Elbert Or (Bakemono High), pati na rin ni Steven Pabalina (D...

Dancing to: Lovestoned--I Think She Knows (Justin Timberlake, FutureSex/LoveSounds) One of the more flattering hats-off I've received this year was courtesy of a fine bunch of writers who created a gay superhero and dedicated the story to me. How humbling is that? Project: Bhloom is an online novel-in-progress about a hunky Pasig River boatman named Edong who through the proverbial twist-of-Fate (very Claremont, that) gains the superhuman ability to... ummm... generate flowers. The concept and writing are unapologetically campy and gay, though ironically the original idea came reportedly from a straight guy. The name of the group responsible for the project is the lisp-inducing "Pangkat Flower Puff." Do give the first few installments a read and see if it piques your interest. I imagine, however, that the readership would be particularly specialized. In short, kabaklaan ito. Intellectualize only if you feel the urgency to do so.

Lions for Lambs is one of those movies that can make us head into that existentialist zone, where we question the choices we've made and figure out what direction we ought to take in the future, all in the name of living the full, meaningful life that our grandchildren can be proud of. More than just commentary about how apathetic the world has become, the film attempts to reach into the individual, pulling at conscience strings and prodding the viewer to take a long, hard look at his place in the state of things. And this is the primary problem with this Robert Redford-helmed film. While I like talkie films, Lions For Lambs is talk without internal progression or transformation. About the only character who has goes through some kind of intense dilemma is Meryl Streep's veteran journalist. But it's a debate movie overall, better meant for the theater stage than on the silver screen. To its credit, however, the verbal exchange isn't entirely boring, and I appreciate h...

Got this gem from Gibbs' blog . Nakakatawa.