Embarrassingly Geeky

I had some geeky moments last night during the taping of Qpids’ Heartbreak Sunday. (Sorry, no spoiler as to who got eliminated! :D). As usual I was assigned (or assigned myself, heh!) to assist the Love Council and because waiting hours are sometimes longer than the actual taping itself, I had to initiate a chit-chat with them thinking they won’t get bored waiting if I do so. I actually enjoy the chitchats. I mean, our love council are usually composed of actors who I grew up watching their TV shows and movies in the 80’s and early 90’s, so the tidbits that came out from the talks never fail to amaze me. Like when William Martinez told us how he and Maricel Soriano bickered a lot during their Luciano Carlos movie shoots or when Manilyn Reynes shared to us how she and Janno Gibbs hid their “tampuhan” to the fans when they had to sing love songs in That’s Entertainment. As a jologs showbiz fan of the 80’s, I listen to their stories with glee.

Last night, we had Gina Alajar and Lotlot de Leon as members of our Love Council. Lotlot arrived late (due to personal reasons I can’t disclose but I’m sure will come out in showbiz-oriented shows in the weeks to come) and Miss Gina and I already ran out of topic to talk about. So nervously, I told Miss Gina that I love her early movies. Conversation went something like this…

ME: Miss Gina, napanood ko yung mga pelikula nyo nung bata pa kayo!
MS. GINA: Talaga?
ME: (gushing) Oo! Yung Manila By Night! Kamukha mo si Joyce Jimenez!
MS. GINA: Talaga? Thank you!
ME: Grabe noh! Si William Martinez pala, bago naging teenstar, ganun pala ang mga roles niya!
(Ms Gina awkwardly laughs)

Of course it was only after I said that when I realized that in the movie, Gina Alajar and William Martinez had this nude sex scene in the shower where Miss Gina showed her butt and by saying my comments about her looking like Joyce Jimenez and William being not so wholesome pre-Maricel Soriano, I was being tactless! My bad! :)

My tactlessness didn’t end there. When the Love Council was already onstage, Miss Lotlot commented about the large number of fans inside the studio and without thinking again, I asked her, “Para din bang sa Lotlot and Friends?!” She laughed of course, but somewhere at the back of my mind, I remembered reading an article about Lotlot and Friends not exactly doing well in the ratings game. Argh! :)

Somebody has to tell me to keep my mouth shut during the next Heartbreak Sunday and to keep my 80’s pop culture comments to myself. :)

Videoke Days Are Here Again!

Had a blast during the long weekend. Tho’ I didn’t plan anything (coz had I known it would be a long weekend in advance, I would have flown to my hometown to attend the fiesta), it didn’t matter. Experience told me acting on impulse especially on gimmicks is still the one that will give you natural highs, albeit in my case, not really that natural. You will find out later. Haha. =)

FRIDAY. Yam and I had an impromptu one-on-one afternoon videoke session in I.O. The Loop after our creative meeting. Haha. While it wasn’t that fun coz there were only two of us alternating in using the microphone, at least it gave us time to prepare for our main videoke concert with our friends/former co-workers Monjam and Rose later that evening. Haha. Sandwiched between the videoke sessions are a film viewing of François Ozon’s Sitcom. Avoid it! Watch John Waters’ Pink Flamingo instead.

SATURDAY. Worked out in the gym for the first time. Went to I-Post for our show’s editing after. Was itching to go out at night but nobody wanted to go out with me. Haha. Good thing our PA Nelson passed by the apartment to return my laptop (the show borrowed it for the online editing of mats). We had an impromptu drinking session while watching Wong Kar Wai’s Happy Together. Haha.=) My housemate Rose joined us later for an impromptu “juts” session. Like the first time, I didn’t feel any case of “high”. Rose also. Well, it was just one stick. (My bad!)

SUNDAY. Met with my college blockmates Rose, Juvy and Gen. (The Rose of Friday, Saturday and Sunday are one and the same, by the way. Heh!) Again, unplanned! Rose told me that afternoon that Gen would be sleeping over because she had work on the day of SONA and she lives in Fairview. Traffic would be ugly in Commonwealth. So I told Rose, “okay lang basta manlibre siya ng dinner!” Gen bought the idea, haha! We texted Juvy, who lives nearby, to come with us and yun, instant gimmick! =)

MONDAY. Went to Rockwell to have lunch with my high school friends. We’re supposed to just have lunch but since we miss each other’s company so badly, we decided to do something more. Videoke, that is! =)

Hay, the long weekend was really a welcome respite after 7 months of working for the reality show. Wow, I think I just made an understatement. Well, I hope statements like that won’t be understatements anymore.

Inspired!

After watching my friends’ films - Michiko Yamamoto’s Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros and Emman de la Cruz’ Sarong Banggi - last Thursday at the UP Film Center (sorry, I still have to adjust calling it Cine Adarna), my passion to write and direct my own film came back again. I had this urge when I was in college and forgot about it when I got sucked into the mainstream system. Watching my friends’ films though, I couldn’t help but envy them. I mean they can finally say that they did it. They made a movie that they want to do - without the intervention of a creative committee and without directors and producers reminding them about Aling Bebang. So what if Sarong Banggi was like it or hate it (I belong to the former few), at least Emman got to share his vision with everyone. Michiko’s film, I only had a few apprehensions (mostly editing and acting direction of some scenes), but overall the film is a classic. What I love about it is that it’s indie in nature but it did not alienate the mainstream audience. The screenplay was also very good. I was telling Michiko had I written the material, it would have been just a simple gay story but Michiko wrote more than just that. (And that’s for you to see coz I didn’t intend to write a film critique here. :D) The director’s documentary background also gave the film an authentic look of a typical lower-class metro neighborhood.

I just find it funny that some artsy fartsy snobs are now labeling Michiko and Emman as “staunch indie filmmakers” not knowing that Michiko used to write for teenybopper SCQ Reload and teleserye Pangako sa ‘Yo and currently writes for the soap Anghel na Walang Langit, and Emman used to be a part of the same mainstream studio creative committee these artsy farts love to pinpoint as the cause of Philippine Cinema’s death. Hehe. :) La lang! Who says that mainstream peeps can’t do indies? Or maybe it’s more of; a good film is a good film whether it’s indie or not.

*****

I’m now going to the gym, yahoo! Hehe.:) I enrolled in Fitness First ABS-CBN yesterday. The pay was quite hefty but I just want to think of it as a challenge (or an inspiration, haha :D) to have a good and healthy bod. I have this wrong notion that when I finally have a good bod, I will gain more confidence and with more confidence, I can finally get a lovelife. Hoy, kidding! :D

Shattering Reality

Just experimenting with the Blogger Images feature. 'Steg noh?! Di na kelangan mag Photobucket. Got this pic from CF, btw. La lang. I think it's funny. :)

The Indies!

If you still haven't watched Cinemalaya, you may still catch it this week at the UP Film Center. And with that, allow me to "cybermedia whore" my friends' entries - Emman de La Cruz' Sarong Banggi and housemate Michiko Yamamoto's Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros. They will be shown on Thursday. You must watch them.

I have a feeling Michiko's entry will win the top plum tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed. :) Argh, I actually feel proud to be their friend. Hahahaha :)

*****

ETA: Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros did win big time (no pun intended)! It got the Special Jury Prize, special citation for Best Actor and Best Production Design. Congrats Mitch! :)

Boholoventure

Just got back from Bohol, taping for Qpids. Though I’m a “bisdak”, it was my first time there. Our unit went to the tarsier sanctuary and cruised along the Loboc River. I was with the team of Hazel, Vanessa, Alwyn and Janus and with those two guys forever clowning around, it’s understatement if I say we had fun. The kids are pretty popular there. We were eating in this small carinderia and a crowd of locals was waiting for them outside, staring at them and shouting their names till they finished their lunch. Whoa!

Incidentally, my former board mates Greggy and LJ who are Boholanos invited me to the soft opening of their bar in Tagbilaran. I would have wanted to go but our taping in Bohol Tropics Resort (nice place) finished past midnight already. I did promise them I’d go back to their hometown. Heard Panglao Island is paradise and I still had to experience Chocolate Hills since it’s the other unit who was assigned there.

I’m actually planning to backpack around Pinas after Qpids. I think I’ve saved enough for me to survive 2 months of bum time. I will discover the North and island hop the South. I’m still thinking whether to invite friends or go solo. I think it would be more adventurous if I go solo. What do you think? Argh, I’m already excited just thinking about it. :)

BTW, our show will be a weekly thing starting this Sunday. I hope this will be the start of a social life. Hehe. :)

Hongkong Rush

Just had to post this. I was in Hongkong last Saturday! :) We were there to shoot for Qpids and although everything was in haste (the loveteams were on a race and we were only there for 12 hours), the experience was still fun and memorable. I was in Wong Kar Wai and Tony Leung's hometown for goodness' sake! :D


AD Val and I managed to have our pic taken in Kowloon Park while our assigned loveteam PAUGI were doing their loventure.


The PAUGI crew at the coffeeshop pistop in Victoria's Peak. :)


Thought the PAUGI fans would love to see this. :)