Lately, I’ve been spending my free time virtual DJing on this site called turntable.fm . I don’t claim to be knowledgable about new music or whatnot, and stick to what i know. So I frequent rooms like 90s Alternative and the Breakfast Club (mostly 80s).

One person played a Jocelyn Enriquez song “Do you Miss Me” and I vaguely remembered that she is Filipina. I also heard a rumor somewhere that that is Banig from Bagong Kampeon (the 80s Filipino version of American Idol and Britains Got Talent). Luckily for me, there’s google and wiki to verify if it is one person only. Here we go:

1. wiki’ed jocelyn enriquez : found out she was born and raised in SFo.

2. wiki’ed “Banig Bagong Kampeon” : it gave me results
The show also had a contestant named Josephine Roberto (aka “Banig”), who later defeated Christina Aguillera on the way to become Female Vocalist Champion in the 1989 edition of Star Search in the United States.

3. googled Josephine Roberto. While she made a bit of a ripple when she was younger, seems like she is still trying to make it big.

Still kind of impressed about the part where she beat Christina Aguilera though. If you want to see her performance, i found a video on multiply.

4. youtubed a few more of “BANIG STAR SEARCH 1989″ and “CHRISTINA AGUILERA STAR SEARCH 1989″ and incidentally came upon “BRITNEY SPEARS CAN SING…” with clips of britney in star search ’88.

I remember Banig always did her exaggerated growly voice during Bagong Kampeon (she was 7 and I was 8 – my folks prodded me to join the contest but I knew my shyness would become an issue with performing) — but her vocals then were more sophisticated than Christina’s was at the time. Christina attempted the  runs but was not exactly flawless at executing them (she can do them today , sure). And Britney *snort* well, Britney never really was a serious competitor. And that’s a different story.

I also youtube’d Banig and her US gigs the past few years. She sounds like Lani Misalucha and the other Filipina RnB pop  singers. Pretty good , she even got more control on her singing. No more growling, no more shouting. Sophisticated singing is all about control. I’m glad to know she turned out okay.

You know who reminds me of Banig’s 7 year old self? Haley from American Idol 2010! LOL No wonder Haley never impressed me on the show!

August is the Month for Infamous Pinoy Internet Sensations (aka IPIS) … & Their Virtual Lynch Mobs

Ahh…Manila, Philippines. Where folks are slowly learning that what you  say today could end up on youtube tomorrow and immortalize your carelessness for life. Pinoys , young and old, are all weighing in on the various issues that cropped up this month, faster than you can say the title of this blog entry.

In case you’ve been out of circulation, here is the list of the Pinoys (in Chronological order) who got their virtual lynch mobs, and who got the worst end of it:

1. Christopher “I was not informed” Lao

Discovery point: TV PATROL and FACEBOOK

The gist: Lao plowed through flooded streets, miscalculated the water’s steepness, and got caught on the local news ranting at the government that , well, he should’ve been informed.

Lynch Mob: Mostly attacks came from Pinoy Facebook users, even creating hate pages on FB, and everyone who ever forwarded the sad little video was accused of cyber bullying.

Why the hate: While Mr Lao did have a valid point, (and COULD have miscalculated to due to the rains, blurred vision or whatnot), every Filipino who knows that during rainy season, there will definitely be flood. That’s the government’s fault too for swindling taxpayers money instead of fixing roads and drainage systems. But seriously, while I believe you got too much hate for already looking like an idiot on TV, I just want to say …Mr Lao, if you are reading this, next time save yourself some money and follow MY golden rule: Do NOT push on if water is already halfway up your tires/rims.

2. Mideo Cruz – the not-so-subtle performance artist

Discovery point: every channel on local TV, and every Filipino christian blog , Facebook

The gist: Mideo Cruz was part of the Poleteismo exhibition at the CCP. His installation consisted of overlapping photos of bleeding eyes Jesus, Jesus with a penis ash tray on his face, a crucifix with a condom strewn on it. The controversial images were small compared to the totality of the wall art installation. Nonetheless, it turned off plenty of people, including the former first lady Imelda Marcos, who saw the show, expressed her disgust for Cruz’s work. After that, it was a jungle, a circus: absolute madness. Questions and issues were raised but one remain: Is there a limit to an artist’s freedom of expression?

The Lynch Mob: CBCP (Bishops) got mad. Christian bloggers were outraged. Artists were sympathetic (well, not all of them) Even I’m on the fence about it. Spot.PH’s Lourd De Veyra wrote about it and did an episode on WOTL on it.

Why the Hate + some more thoughts: This is a really tricky issue, because as my friend Tsok mentioned, even my father’s work marries folklore, paganism and Catholicism — and could very well be under attack if we were to follow the maxim of Catholics in denouncing Mideo’s piece. I told him my dad was a wee bit more subtle than penises on Jesus, but I got his point.

Aesthetics aside,…

I have artist friends who believe Mideo Cruz created shock art for art’s sake.

I have agnostic / artist friends who believe that art is art and should never EVER be censored. EVER!

I have Christian friends who believe Cruz’s ideas were personally offensive , saying its just as disrespectful as having a photo of your parents vandalized.

I have lawyer friends who think:  ’Not on taxpayer’s money.’

The saddest part is that the whole show was shut down, the artist was questioned in a forum created to find out why this blew up to epic proportions. It solved nothing. It didn’t stop the CBCP and religious fanatics from crying BLASPHEMY. It did, however, provoke the CCP visual dept head to resign from her post.

And it definitely didn’t stop the politicos who just HAD to get in the middle of it, mostly to grab their own 15 seconds of fame. Damn hypocrites! This is exactly why we shouldn’t vote for actors… instead of looking at it from a practical standpoint, they go for the emotional. However, the longer these actor-turned-senators dwell on Mideo Cruz, the more taxpayers’ money they are wasting away (when they should be talking about fixing drainage systems, etc).

For me, the real bastard villain is Sen. Tito Sotto. Please. You are not the bastion of morality, the epitome of goodness: when you were a famous TV personality, you put out music with irreverent lyrics. And please don’t remind the oldies about your OTHER skeletons in the closet.

3. James Soriano aka “Malansang Isda”

Discovery point: Manila Bulletin online, Facebook

The gist: This young Atenean apparently writes regularly for MB.com. His article explained his not-so-humble beginnings being forced to learn and speak only English, and learning Tagalog only so he can talk to the lower classes. This is a guy who not only prides himself for speaking Tagalog so poorly/speaking English well, he calls English the “language of the learned” and that he is fortunate to be part of the privileged and well-connected group of Filipinos living in luxury today.

The Lynch Mob: this is the one issue I felt most disturbed about. And I daresay a couple of hundred people on the UP Diliman Facebook group page also weighed in, saying this guy is a real douche.

Why the Hate + my 2cents: Yes, there were a few who did point out that his article may have been a satire, and should be sarcastic. That …just maybe…he meant to bring up the taboo issue of classism.

The Manila Bulletin article has been taken down barely 24 hours after it hit facebook (no comments showed up but comments were enabled) [EDIT: It's back up on mb.com] but another website cached Soriano’s article changing the title to ” When Truth Hurts”. Yes, yes, the use of Tagalog is deteriorating in our country. I have friends whose children are living in the Philippines and are speaking English at home, and not learning enough Tagalog to be fluent in it. Just like Soriano.

But in his article, the problem wasn’t in his language preference but stating that he was excessively proud to feel privileged and well-connected in his country because of it. As if his article justifies his poor Tagalog proficiency. As if his article gave him the right to feel superior compared to the jeepney drivers, the maids, and people who spoke some English, but not well enough to be as “learned” as he is.

It would’ve been better if he wrote it like THIS. If he was sarcastic, or trying to be humorous, he could’ve done what this girl DID.

My friends and I have been planning something big to counter ungrateful, unpatriotic little shits like this kid.

You might say WTH and point out that I’ve every bit as guilty as Soriano, placing a preference on English as I type in my blog.

#1 I can speak either language, however, since this blog was started in English a few years ago, I am writing all this in English now. Who knows maybe Soriano will read my blog and feel … enlightened.

#2 However, the Lingua Franca Taglish is my normal mode of speaking and thinking. There is no shame in it. As beautiful as pure Tagalog can sound, parts of it was taken from our Malay, Spanish and Chinese neighbors’ languages. The newer words that refer to science and technology are in English and has no direct translation. Take a look at the following passage that I wrote in another forum that discussed this issue:

“Hindi ako meztiza, hindi ako chinita, kayumangging kayumanggi ako – (kahit na lola ko ay of American jewish descent). its true na dahil sa itsura, madaling madismiss ang kayumangging tao bilang “mahirap” or “working class”. Hence, i learned english and was constantly praised in school for sounding so natural and … American. Yes, I can speak English with an unaffected American slang, thanks to my Fil-am cousins who visit annually, and Hollywood movies. Pagsalita ko, hindi nga naman ako maid, hindi rin ako salesgirl, etc. Naging automatic na ito depende sa lugar o kausap. Siguro mali ako for somewhat reinforcing classism, pero in a way, gusto ko muna mabawasan ang stereotyping. Pero never kong inisip na English is the “language of the learned”, as Soriano thinks. Never kong inisip na mas matalino at privileged/connected ako sa mga ibang kaklase ko sa UP, porket mas magaling ang English ko sa kanila.

The truth is, most filipinos are guilty of classism and stereotyping, kahit mga mahihirap. Pati yung idea natin ng beauty, mejo makitid. Growing up, the only nice kind of hair daw (accdg to shampoo commercials) ay yung “shiny, straight hair”. Buti nga marami nang mga lumabas na artista/model in the past 20 years na HINDI TISAY kase at least lumalawak ang isip ng pinoy na pati chinita at morena ay masarap din sa mata. ”

I posted Soriano’s article on Facebook, and had this on intro: “Sa Amerika, napakasarap makipagbalitaktakan sa kapwa pinoy gamit ang sariling wikang Tagalog. Hindi lang ito nagiging isang sikretong lenguahe — nagiging koneksyon natin ito sa isip at dugo. Bigyan natin ng halaga ang sarili nating wika! Tanggalin ang klassismo. Wag tularan ang gunggung na ‘to.”

**

In the end, Lao got lynched, and though we all thought he was an imbecile, he was a UP summa cum laude and UP law grad. Soriano got lynched (and deservingly so, IMHO) and his roasting isn’t over…but his HS teachers are coming to his defense, stating that he is actually pretty proficient in Tagalog too (which isn’t really the problem LOL). Cruz got lynched way too much in my opinion, and I bet he wasn’t expecting the show to close due to politics nor the CCP official to resign due to the ruckus. But it doesn’t matter what the church says…Cruz got his international grant (possibly due  to his newfound internet fame) and no doubt we’ll be hearing about him again soon.

These Infamous Pinoy Internet Sensations have one common thread linking them together. They are all pretty much conceited. While they’ve all touched raw nerves here and there, they’ve also served their purpose: to incite and encourage our fellow Filipinos into having intelligent & relevant discussions about our country today.

No doubt you’ve spent many an hour googling an idea, a memory, an interest — finding something to satisfy your thirst for trivial knowledge… moving forward to a new idea and another and another. I call this Google Linking My Brain Farts. I do this at least once a day. It’s great but a time-consumer, its ridiculous.

Facebook, being one of the biggest time burners, popped up with an entry from an older friend, a Filipino Entertainment writer Janet Nepales. It was  about Piper Perabo who was famous for her role in Coyote Ugly. If you can remember anything from the film, she was part of the team of sexy bartenders that ran Coyote Ugly and made her mark singing “One way or Another” on the bar (below, see chick on right).

Her singing chops, I’ve always attributed to being part of  the 90′s group that gave us the weird but endearing cover of RHCP’s Under The Bridge. At first I couldn’t remember, but doing a quick search of Under The Bridge covers, I came up with the name All Saints. Which was UK-based. That didn’t add up, but still didn’t mean much. Anyone could’ve made the transition to being an American actress, right? I mean, accents can be learned.

Let’s backtrack my “googling linking” so far:

1. Facebook post about PP

2. Wikipedia post about PP – no mention of previous girl band experience

3. Wikipedia post about Under The Bridge and its covers.

4. Youtube All Saints’ video cover of Under The Bridge

5. Wikipedia All Saints member lineup

And upon seeing All Saints’s video on youtube, after which was confirmed by the last google into Wiki, I therefore conclude that , after all these years, I had mistakenly thought PP was the girl in All Saints and turns out that she is NOT. Woah.

6. Youtube for another All Saints song Never Ever, which wasn’t THAT great, but what really got to me was this little gem in the comments:

“I grew up where our walkmans were ipods, our downloads were us sitting by the radio with a cassette in the recorder ready for our favorite song, our playstation was a designated place in the front yard where we played in the dirt with the neighborhood kids, and our facebook was looking back in our year book talking about that weird kid or your best friends that moved away. I <3 the 90′s”

So in the end, there was a point to my google linking, which probably burned about 45 minutes of my time, but finally put the record straight in my brain, and led me to a grateful post about the 90′s which echoes the same sentiment I had of the decade. I <3 the 90′s! Hurray for google-linking!

Just so you know, I've been doing this for years! Check out this old blog of mine
- when I used to call it streams of consciousness LOL

Why books triumph over kindle editions…and why I will still be paying $10 for a book over an equally priced (and therefore overpriced) digital copy that doesn’t take as much to recreate:

1) You can resell a book, but you cant resell a digital copy (at least no where close to what you originally paid for it).

2) Books give you more time away from the computer, ergo less headaches.

3) A book’s weight is variable…the computer, even an ipad is constantly 2-5lbs.

4) Sleeping with a book is safe, whereas, sleeping with your device emits energy that is proven to be harmful to your health.

Lastly, if you become a big fan of the author, would you really want him/her to sign your kindle?

Make it Or Break it (2009-2011/ABC) is an American drama series about an elite gymnastics club set in Boulder, Colorado. Aptly called “The Rock”,  it becomes the epicenter of all the drama created by its elite Olympic hopefuls and their families. You get introduced to three pretty, competitive female gymnasts who get threatened when a newcomer gymnast joins their club. Later on, you get drawn in, quickly becoming in awe of the fast action shots of the gymnasts flipping and whirling through the air. It is the action shot-montage that becomes the most enjoyable part of the show, where the sound editors even add in whooshes to every fast layoff somersault. You get addicted to the competition, you get high with the applause. But then there’s still the drama part of the show.

To put the non-action part of ‘Make it or Break it’ in a nutshell is easy:
- one dimensional side characters
- daily / weekly intrigues that are set off by the characters themselves
- infidelity among the parents
- scheming girls who wont stop
- perfect diva girls without angst vs poor ones who do
- coaches trash talking each other right before competition (is it human nature to show who can piss higher?)

Plus :
- raising the issue of having premarital sex = increasing hormones = weight gain/body change = end of gymnastics career?
- introducing issues like poverty/ struggling with recession/ anorexia/ abortion vs adoption / bisexuality but never resolving it

One thing a ‘Make it or Break it’ fan can expect is the constant bitchiness & drama during every episode. It seems like every time the writers / producers / directors brainstorm for a new episode they throw in another new scandal on top of the old ones that are never/not yet resolved. Old habits die hard, making it seem like every character has no growth, no arc.

During the first few episodes, I felt that the show was miscast, had bad actors, had lame screenplays with just way too many issues. Once I got used to the quick pace of drama-laden frenzy, I was hooked. Maybe I did like the cast. Maybe I did want to find out the resolution to each intrigue.

Needless to say, I finished Season 1 – 2 in three days. Watch it on Netflix, if say you were hoping to learn some bitchy new reparteés or just wanted to peek into the world (and drama) of gymnastics.

=======================================================
SPOILER ALERT. Turn back now if you want to watch this series on Netflix.
=======================================================

Some loose ends are left at the end of the second season (and so far, the last of it. No word yet as to whether there will be a third as the actress who played Emily really did get pregnant. Boo!): Payson experiences emotions, professional statuses are reinstated, relationships revived, back injuries heal but what about the Olympics? That’s was the main goal of the Olympians from episode 1.

A few more specific loose ends:
- does SUMMER marry MR TANNER? Or does SASHA manage to change her mind? None of their characters are developed well enough for a happy ending on either scenario.
- what happens to Darby Conrad? and Beals?
- where is CARTER? and Nicky Russo? and the Cruzes, who never finalized their divorce? Where is MARTY, the old coach? where is Brian during the last few episodes?
- if MAX hurts his tail bone, how did he manage to get to the Hungary meet in a matter of days after the car accident?
- how does AUSTIN fare during the Worlds ? They should at least be talking about how the guys did too, I mean, they ARE still part of the ROCK.
- it looks like the main bitches LAUREN and KELLIE are reformed in the end, but how?
- what happens to KELLIE and her moms relationship?
- what happens to PAYSON’s scholarship eligibility? Do the parents get to work out the Grrrl bar deal?
- How does Max and his bisexuality figure in all the drama? And if he is confused, how does he come to terms that he wants to be with PAYSON?

- and the biggest loose end of all : WHERE IS EMILY? And does DAMON find her?

The Good:
Chloe Kmetko – she had the best character development. I’m not sure if most of it came solely from the actress’s portrayal of her, in which case, hats off to her! I used to hate her but she is darn funny! Reminds me of my mom, except my mom never worked in a strip club.

The Bad:
Loose ends! Now I want an !@#$!@$ season 3!

The Ugly:
When you hear Damon Young + Kaylie Cruz sing together, turn the damn sound off. The song melodies are trite, and their voices lack emotion / passion. It’s hard to watch “music ians” on TV when they’re not really musicians/crap musicians. Kind of makes me wish the show not only splurged on gymnast doubles but also voice doubles.