Yeng Congstantino - B.A.B.A.Y.

I am not sure about Yeng's dancing in the music video but what I'm sure of is Yeng's immense talent as a singer-songwriter.  I've always believed in this kid since I worked with her in Pinoy Dream Academy.  Writing the now OPM classic "Hawak Kamay" in her teens is no easy feat.  She just has "it".


"B.A.B.A.Y" is the lead single of her 2nd collaboration album with Raymund Marasigan "Metamorphosis."  The album contains all original songs, very rare for OPM artists these days.

I'm excited to hear the rest of the album.  My most favorite Yeng song, by the way, is this very relatable and poignant teen ditty.

13 Films To Watch in 2013

I am still embarrassed by the fact that I only saw a total of 14 films in theaters last year.  That is not me.  I vowed to myself that it will have to change this year.  So far, so good.  January has not ended yet but I already saw 3 films - Life of Pi (my Oscar Best Picture winner), Sisterakas (totally got its box-office success), and Les Miserables (musical plays & film musicals are two different genres, the straight adaptation did not work).

Here are 13 other films I am excited to see in 2013:

About Time

Synopsis: A young man discovers that the men in his family are able to travel through time, and sets out to use his gift to win the heart of his dream girl.

Excitement Factor: Richard Curtis' (Notting Hill, Love Actually, Four Weddings & A Funeral) comeback to the rom-com genre

 Bling Ring 

Synopsis: A group of teenagers obsessed with fashion and fame burglarize the homes of celebrities in Los Angeles. 

Excitement Factor: A youth movie by Sophia Coppola starring Emma Watson fresh from The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I'm So Excited 

Synopsis: In the face of a life-threatening situation, a disparate and defenseless group of passengers on board a flight to Mexico City are provoked to deliver colorful confessionals that become the best way to escape from the idea of death. 

Excitement Factor: Pedro Almodovar, period.

Labor Day 

Synopsis: On Labor Day weekend, a divorced, depressed single mother encounters a large man bleeding profusely while shopping with her 13-year-old son. They give him a ride and later learn that the police are looking for an escaped convict. 

Excitement Factor:  Jason Reitman (Juno, Up In The Air, Young Adult) directing Kate Winslet's comeback 

Nebraska 

Synopsis: An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million dollar Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes prize. 

Excitement Factor: Alexander Payne's (The Descendants)  return to directing road-trip movies after the award-winning Sideways

The Great Gatsby 

Synopsis: Nick Carraway learns that old friend Jay Gatsby has built an empire of wealth and avarice, and has eyes only for his former flame Daisy Buchanan. 

Excitement Factor: The reunion project of Romeo + Juliet's Baz Luhrmann & Leonardo di Caprio, plus it features songs of Jay-Z and Lady Gaga

The Heat 

Synopsis: An FBI agent and a cop team up to bring down a drug lord. 

Excitement Factor: Bridesmaids' director Paul Feig's new comedy and the fresh combo of Sandra Bullock & Bridesmaids' breakout star Melissa McCarthy

The Nymphomaniac 

Synopsis: A self-diagnosed nymphomaniac recounts her erotic experiences to the man who saved her after a beating. 

Excitement Factor: A porn film by Lars Von Trier

Her 

Synopsis: In the not-so-distant future, a lonely writer purchases a newly developed operating system designed to meet the user's every need, and to his surprise, a romantic relationship begins to develop with it.  

Excitement Factor:  Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation), my favorite music video director of all time, makes meta-movies again 
 

 To The Wonder 

Synopsis: The relationship between an American man and European woman falls apart. 

Excitement Factor: Early viewers say this is the perfect companion piece to Terrence Malick's previous directorial effort The Tree of Life, my favorite film last year

The World's End 

Synopsis: A group of old friends reunite for an epic pub crawl at the dawn of the apocalypse. 

Excitement Factor:  Four words: Shaun of the Dead

The Grandmaster 

Synopsis: The story of martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee. 

Excitement Factor: Wong Kar-Wai. Tony Leung. Enough said.

This Is The End 

Synopsis: A gaggle of comedic celebrities survive the apocalypse and struggle to survive in the wastelands. 

Excitement Factor:  Judd Apatov (Superbad, Pineapple Express) casts all his regular & reliable comedian friends - Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jason Segel, Michael Cera & Jonah Hill among others - in one movie


Source: The Playlist

Pop Favorites of 2012

FAVORITE MOVIES
It must be noted that I only saw 14 movies in cinemas last year, a far cry from the 50 films I saw ten years ago.  Yes, I keep track of them. :D  Some of the films here are released in 2011 but are shown in the Philippines only last year.

5. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Director: Brad Bird. Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg

4. Argo. Director: Ben Affleck. Cast: Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, John Goodman

3. The Hunger Games. Director: Gary Ross. Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson

2. The Descendants. Director: Alexander Payne. Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller

1. The Tree of Life.  Director: Terrence Malick. Cast: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn

FAVORITE SONGS
2012 was the year when I started buying songs instead of illegally downloading them. :D  Some of the songs in the list are from 2011 but are released on Philippine mainstream radio in 2012.

5. I Love You - 2NE1



4. Starships - Nicki Minaj



3. Settle Down - No Doubt



2. One Thing - One Direction (My guilty pleasure of 2012! :D)



1. Walk - Foo Fighters (My karaoke song of 2012! :D)


There you go! I have no list of favorite TV shows since aside from my own shows, the only shows I watched in 2012 were my old reality favorites - Survivor, Amazing Race, American Idol & X-Factor. There is also no list of favorite music videos like before because MTV does not play music videos anymore.  

Goals for 2013

Two words: The Secret.

1.  Travel more (USA, Japan, Singapore, Boracay, Bicol)
2.  Sleep more & early when not working.
3.  Lose weight. Exercise. Find a sport. Proper diet.
4.  Direct an MMK episode, a commercial film or an episode of a trilogy.
5.  Read more!
6.  Learn to swim.
7.  Live. Laugh. Love.
8.  Pray. Keep the faith.
9.  Less Internet but blog often.
10. Save money. Give back.

Funny how some of my New Year goals are the same as three years ago.  I hope to achieve them this year.