5 Days

And now they're telling us it's a 5-day soap format again. Decisions, indecisions... Fuck! We're no robots.

Anyway, I might not be able to update this blog as often as before. The past week or so, my free time is spent sleeping. As I'm writing this, I still have to beat an early morning deadline tomorrow and I'm not yet halfway through. And I think they're already showing the show's teaser earlier. Pressure! Argh!

I gotta find a way to exit. Not that I'm giving up but because this is not what I want.

Never Be The Same Again

I am still shocked to even think about what I will do next. I am honestly helpless. I don’t know what to do. There was an emergency meeting last Friday and the network bigwigs informed us that the youth show is now going to be a 6-day soap opera. And we still have to premiere 2 weeks from now. Needless to say, I’m shocked. It’s so fucking’ unfair! Foremost, I said yes to a youth show, not to a soap opera! Don’t get me wrong. I have high respect for soap opera writers (being a former one myself) but I don’t respect the genre. Argh! I still want a social life. I still want to do production work. I cannot commit one year of my fuckin’ life to a fuckin’ soap opera! What makes me mad is that the more I look at it, the more I see that it’s purely a materialistic corporate move because I don’t think it is a good move, career wise, for the young actors the show’s supposed to launch. You might say, why don’t I resign? Yes I can but it’s not that easy because “politics” is involved here. It’s both a lose-lose situation for me if I resign. I will appear (and feel) inconsiderate coz’ I’m the only writer (aside from the head writer) and this is a period wherein the team should work together to be able to meet the launching date. More importantly, resigning would also mean killing my TV career. In this cutthroat world of showbiz, I am pretty sure that the “people up there” will see to it that I made a very big mistake if I quit. I don’t know what to do. I don’t like what’s happening with my life. :(

Back to School

I'm going back to school today. Film 201 class under "the" Doctor Joel David. I'm scared. I didn't expect to be taking up a major subject already. When I had myself enlisted last week, I was sure I would take up Film 112 since that's the remaining prereq subject I have to take for not being a Film major in my undergrad. I was obviously surprised when Prof. Armi (adviser) told me that I need NOT take Film 112 and can proceed already with the subjects ending in 200+. I was taken aback coz I wasn't prepared, didn't even study the course curriculum. I looked at the five subjects for MA students of freshman standing. There's Media Studies 20something with my undergrad thesis adviser as professor but I was thinking I might not be ready to take that subject yet coz I still don't know my regular work sked and having her, as a teacher really requires full concentration on her class. It also helps that I read in Miaka's blog what happened to Luthien who was her student last sem and who felt the grade she gave was unfair. It got me scared. I'd like to think I left a good impression on her and I don't wanna destroy that by coming to her class unprepared. So I had no choice but just to take Film 201. I don't know what the subject is about. Film seminar something. I know what you're thinking. Is this the mind of an MA student? :)

Funny

Like you, I'm also tired of my "laughing at My First Romance to avoid people thinking that I'm too serious with my screenplay but in truth I'm really proud of that screenplay" act but this just got in. I got a text from Tim, our DOP in All My Life. He's making the primer for this year's annual Film Academy of the Philippines Awards and he told me that our screenplay for My First Romance is included in the shortlist of 10 screenplays up for nominations. They will narrow down the field next week and of course (this is honest speak), I'm not expecting that it will be included in the final 5. BUT still, to be part of the "for your consideration" scripts (considering Tessa and I are not even members of the Writers Guild that's why I doubted Tim's text at first), while funny, is something to be proud of. I guess. :)

Jologs For Life

I just reaffirmed my “Jologs” reputation. I watched the live grand finals (or as they say it, Grand Questor’s Night) of Star Circle Quest in Araneta Coliseum yesterday. I got free tickets from “insiders” the day prior and since I had nothing to do yesterday, I decided to watch. Well, okay, I’m really a regular viewer of the show. It is a guilty pleasure. In fact, I wanted to work for the show as segment producer or something. I so envy my friend Mico for being one of its writers. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because it’s also ala-American Idol (another guilty pleasure) or because Reality TV is really, what I’m craving for right now. In artsy-fartsy talk, I’m in a stage wherein I prefer the documentary genre to contrived scripted fiction. I sound very defensive I hate me! :)

Actually, before SCQ, I was also a regular viewer of Starstruck although I got hooked with that show when they were already in their Final 6. Comparing the two, I think the Starstruck Teens are really lucky because they have a director (Lino Cayetano) who fully understood what the genre is all about. In all fairness, they are also better looking (for me) than their SCQT counterparts. If we talk about longevity though, I think the finalists of Star Circle Quest will stay longer in the business because (aside from the ABS-CBN machinery), I really believe they’re smarter and more talented. (And I’m not solely talking about singing and dancing here.) I just hated it when the shows became at a time, too serious. It’s supposed to be about the “cheese”! That’s the reason why people (or at least, I) watch. The cheese! :)

On a personal tidbit, when Direk Lauren told us that he was asked to be one of the judges of SCQ Teens, I excitedly told him “Be Simon Cowell!” In the first few weeks, he tried to be one but I guess he just can’t fake it. He eventually became the nice and sensible judge (and that's really who he is on and off camera). It helped though, coz I think his popularity as one of the jurors is partly the reason why All My Life did great in the box-office. In fact, when we were shooting in Star Cruise Virgo, many Pinoys came up to him asking for his picture. To think Star Circle Quest just started airing one week before! :)

Back to yesterday’s live show, of course, I texted friends and ask for their company. To my dismay, no one’s as excited as I am. I ended up “forcing” my kababayan/childhood friend Honey to come with me. (Thank you, Hon!) Even with Honey around, I still got 5 extra tickets and since I know the others whom I haven’t texted are not the type to watch this kind of show anyway, I just sold the tickets to diehard fans desperately wanting to enter Araneta. Hahahaha! :) I know I’ll burn in hell! :) I sold the ticket for P100 each but I’d like to think that was a bargain enough. The tickets were for lower box seats and I’m sure other scalpers sold tickets of the same kind at a much higher price. Okay, I’m defensive again! LOL! :D

The show was fun. Save for some ABS-CBN security guards and show staff members who were rudely standing near the stage and blocking our view in the process (we’re in the patron seats), I had fun. Sandara and Hero’s charismas, I cannot explain! Wow is all I can say. You can feel fanaticism reverberate in the big dome and it was contagious. And this is embarrassing to admit but I felt a lump on my throat when the Final 5 were saying their final words. Heh! :)

Honey and I ended the night by eating in Dencios, spending all my scalper’s earning. :)

Ah! I was surprised to see some old college block mates among the audience. Roy, Sheila A, Val, and Thea were there, Miaka! LOL! :) I totally didn’t expect that! :) They were sorta the snob elites back in college. :)

Behind Camera

Michiko texted me earlier asking my opinion if it’s okay that the picture she’ll give to Urian is her Friendster profile picture. (She’s nominated again for Magnifico.) I said yes, of course. I’m proud of that pic! I took that pic! :) In fact, I just realized that some of my friends use the pics I took of them (care of my old reliable Kodak DX digicam) for Friendster. I don’t have any formal lessons in photography (just some harsh tips from Yam and Emman) but the fact that the pics came out good for them to place them on Friendster makes me happy.


The pic’s not that clear anymore but this was taken in Kitchen, Greenbelt. The resto lighting was very In The Mood for Love, Emman couldn't fight the urge to have this pic taken.


I already posted this pic here before but I’m just so proud of this I have to post it again. This was taken in the fountain area in Greenbelt, would you believe our guts? Properly documented here.


Longing for someone effect. Starbucks, Rockwell. :)


This was taken in the office. People were just feeling picture-happy then.


Same day in the office. Pang-Friendster pic.:)


In that seafood resto in Roxas when the soap team had a reunion dinner of sorts. Place had good lighting also.


Set break during the infamous April Boy Regino shoot.


This one’s not yet on Friendster but I also like this one. Lonely in the city effect. :) Rockwell, Holy Week.

All pics are taken without camera flash, by the way. And I hope my friends are not going to kill me for this. :)

Artsy Fartsy

There’s a French Film Festival going on in Greenbelt 3. Some interesting titles in there, most notable of which is, Balzac and The Little Chinese Seamstress (a Best Foreign Language Film nominee in the Golden Globes). What’s more interesting is that two of the Philippines' internationally-acclaimed films last year are going to be shown again. Straight from Cannes, there’s Mario O’ Hara’s Babae Sa Breakwater. And straight from Clermont, there’s my friend Yam’s Binyag. I really hope I’ll find time to watch considering we’re busy launching the show. Nevertheless, I encourage you guys to watch. Just be more discerning. I mean, it doesn’t mean that just because they’re foreign-language films, they’re good films. :)

Camera Whoring

Had some major camera whoring this past week with some celebs. Thought you might want to look at the pictures. Or thought this might be good publicity for my blog since Retrostats say many surfers were referred to this site because of my namedropping of celebrities. Nah! I'm really just a jologs fan wanting to tell the world I have pics with a real star and today's "in" starlets. :D


Sharlene of Star Circle Quest Kids

Aaron of Star Circle Quest Kids

Neri Naig

Melissa Ricks

Joross Gamboa

Hero Angeles

The Aga Muhlach experience

Wrong Impulse

What’s wrong with me these days? I’m becoming an impulsive book shopper! And to think I’m not even the bookworm type. The youth show team had an “ocular” yesterday to get the feel of the show’s locations. Of course, being a youth show, a mall location is inevitable. While the others were roaming around the area, I found myself going to National Bookstore where I ended up buying 5 more books. Argh! They are:

1. Interesting Women Stories by Andrea Lee
2. The Dive From Clausen’s Pier by Ann Packer
3. Basket Case by Carl Hiaasen
4. Funnymen by Ted Heller
5. Tishomingo Blues by Elmore Leonard

They’re all books from the 99-peso sale. I actually spent an approximate amount of P1, 200 for all the books I bought. Argh! And I’m not even earning these days! (The youth show will only pay me once the first episode airs and the fees are not retroactive.)

We also went to Malate after and watched the stage adaptation of Joey Gosengfiao’s Temptation Island. At least I had a laugh. Just like the movie, the play was very funny. It’ll run until Sunday in Republic of Malate. Catch it! :)

No Doubt

I’m again having doubts whether I was right about accepting the writing offer. I’m just so “off” these days. I’m having a hard time adjusting to the team and to the system. It was so naïve of me to think that it would be fun just like writing My First Romance. It really still depends on the people and the creative process involved. Right now, I feel that the team lack members who are young at heart or those who really understand what the youth’s going through these days considering we are writing a youth show. Or maybe I’m just looking for young creative team members coz’ at 24 I’m the youngest in the team and I’m looking for someone who may not necessarily share my creative ideas but at least we are in the same wavelength. I also feel a little bit tensed because they still haven’t hired a co-writer. And while I’ll not be writing the pilot episodes, it still stresses me because I don’t really believe in my writing powers and I accepted the offer believing I’ll have a writing partner. Or I may need rest. I actually told them that I wanna go home first, take a break and recharge my energies after the strenuous 6-month shoot for All My Life, but they requested that I set aside my vacation plan ‘coz we’re launching by mid-June. I’m just so drained now. And it just dawned on me that I’ll be writing a continuing series, which means that if they won’t fire me in the future or if the series will do good, I might grow old writing this stuff and I don’t want that to happen. I wanna grow. I don’t wanna write the same stuff. I still wanna do production work. Of course it doesn’t help I have been receiving offers to do production work, thanks to All My Life, and I had to say no because of the youth show. Argh! Good Lord, help me!