Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Rat Pack turns... gay


I looooove the standards. There's something about big band music and guys in suits and tuxedos that make me swoon in sheer delight. Or maybe, it's just the 65-year old guy lurking in me. On a karaoke night, give me the microphone and I'm sure as hell I'll be looking for "Sinatra, Frank" in the songbook. (Though I'll definitely skip "My Way". Here in the Philippines, people get murdered singing that song. Seriously.)Or Buble, Michael. Or Connick, Harry. (Connick=Hot)

So imagine my excitement when I learned that this week's American Idol theme is Rat Pack. Well, maybe the others weren't as excited as I was, but I thought, wouldn't Kris Allen look adorable in a suit? Then again, Kris looks adorable in anything, so that's a foregone conclusion. I also knew that Matt Giraud would slay this one, and, much as I hate Danny Gokey, I believe the theme suits The Bestpectacled One well.

Then, there's Adam Lambert.

Can you imagine Freddie Mercury singing Sinatra? Neither can I.

But fortunately, Glambert, with his signature tongue-sticking and howling-til-you're-deaf somehow worked. Our gurlfriend brilliantly sang "Feeling Good," combining the versions of Buble and Pussycat Dolls (you know PCD covered this, didn'tcha?). Well, not as brilliant as his take on "Mad World" and "Tracks of my Tears," but still good enough.

And I was right about Gokey, who, this time, deserved the accolades from the judging panel. His personal spin on "Come Rain or Come Shine" proved that he can be inventive, though for me, he's still overrated. Kris Allen performance was charming, but safe. Allison Iraheta did pretty well, but The Last Girl Standing didn't get that much love from Simon.

I'm quite certain that Matt Giraud will get the boot this time. The judges cant' save him now.


PS. I have a feeling that his blog will turn into another American Idol fanblog. I'm a sucker for this show. It can't be helped.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Disney: Seeing double?

My hubby Bur shared a YouTube clip, where scenes from different Disney flicks were obviously recycled. An article from Slate.com ask whether this affects the way we view Disney.

While I find this YouTune clip amusing, it did not, in any way, diminish my respect and admiration for Disney. I grew up watching Disney films; I cried buckets when Bambi lost his mother, and I can still sing Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo verbatim. (I seriously believe that watching Sleeping Beauty's billowing skirt turn into pink, then blue, then green, then pink again, is one of the factors why I became queer. Seriously.)

A seven year-old kid immersed in wonder and fantasy created by Walt Disney couldn't care less if The Jungle Book and Robin Hood were drawn using the same template. Heck, we see samples of recycled shows over and over again on local TV, and people do not seem to care.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Visiting "Grey Gardens"


I love HBO biopics. Gia introduced me to this future Oscar winner named Angelina Jolie. Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino mesmerized me in Norma Jean and Marilyn. But those films failed to move me the same way Grey Gardens did. I loved this Drew Barrymore-Jessica Lange starrer so much that I had to re-open my dormant blog just to deliver my praises.

The film is based on the acclaimed documentary by Albert and David Maysles about the life of Big Edie and Little Edie Beales (aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy-Onnasis, respectively). While I haven't seen the entire documentary (apart from the YouTube clips), my hubby Bur told me that Barrymore's resemblance to Little Edie is uncanny. This piqued my interest, and I immediately leeched the biopic via torrent (yes, guilty as charged).

For me, Barrymore's performance transcends beyond mere impersonation. The famous scene wherere she's describing the "perfect costume for the day" was both hilarious and heartbreaking. If she will not win an Emmy for this, then there's no justice. Lange did not dissapoint either, delivering a nuanced performance as Big Edie. Unfortunately, both can cancel each other out in the Emmys. Nevertheless, I'm still rooting for Drew, who finally proved that she can be a serious actress given the right project.