Exemplary Damages

.
I can't remember the last time I tuned in week after week to see a continuing TV series unfold. Maybe LA Law on the old RPN 9, and before that St. Elsewhere and Hill Street Blues back in the day when the old GMA 7 had the number on all the US series that mattered.

Back then, the series run seemed to play by the whim of the network honchos. We got whatever they decided to give us that particular week: a rerun, the episode following last week's, or an episode far ahead in the order of things. And in the absence of IMDB, we were none the wiser.

So week after week we tuned in mostly to find out what went down and what's in store for our favorite characters. But then we also tuned out, missed a few episodes, and jumped right back in again without losing appreciation of the episode at hand. We always got our fix because although references were made to episodes past, each new one most likely contained a fresh plot or subplot -- a case, a murder, an illness -- that was resolved by the end of the hour.

Damages focused on one single case the entire 13-week season and in that lay the compulsion to tune in and compunction in tuning out. That is why we made time to watch week after week which, in the face of (d'oh!) adult priorities, is quite an investment. That is why we vowed not to let this one go the way of 24 and Lost where our questionable devotion made us lose track and fall off the wagon, and turned us into hillbillies among our friends ("What? Don't you have TV?"). That is why the series finale airing tomorrow night better. Not. Suck. There'd better be a pay-off or there'd be hell to pay.

U2 in Manila in 3D

Whatta you know, wishes do come true apparently. U2, tho not quite in flesh-and-blood form but in ones and zeros, finally invade Manila.

U23D starts screening tomorrow April Fool's at the IMAX Theater in Mall of Asia and The D-Cinema in SM North EDSA. Tickets are reportedly at P500 a pop. Steep as movies go but it's a freaking bargain considering it's in IMAX, in 3D, in digital sound and video. Plus it's been getting great reviews. And it's freaking U2. Nuff said.

I actually saw these guys in Sydney in November 2006. Cost a bit more than 500 bucks. It was worth every cent; an experience of a lifetime, something to tell the kids' grandkids about. I started on the blog entry as soon as I got back but things got so hairy at home and the office all I could manage was the playlist and I didn't even get to post that. So here they are, songs of that night that etch themselves even deeper in memory everytime I remember:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
I Will Follow
New Year's Day
Beautiful Day
Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Angel of Harlem
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride in the Name of Love
Where The Streets Have No Name
One

Until the End of the World
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You

The Saints Are Coming
Party Girl
Kite


Took these with a camera phone, sorry for the quality:

From our seats, the stage at an angle:

It looked pretty tame until the lights went out and that hundred-foot steel mesh curtain in middle
became the Mother of All Video Screens:

See those ants at the bottom of the screen?
The Irish lads themselves.


Front act was Kanye West (!) and the crowd itself looked pretty tame and sparse during warm up:
(Click on the pic, it's a cool pan.)

But by the first song... it was a swollen sea of U2manity
all on their feet.

Can't wait to go at it again.
This time, sitting down, tenth row center
with Bono thirty feet away and eighty feet tall.

Farewell, Tinkerbell.

Two words from the Little Girl that made me laugh as I was leaving for work today: "Goodbye, Alligator!"

It's out there.

A few months or so ago I was thinking about how old TV series are enjoying a new (and maybe better) life in rerun land these days and how rerun land could use a dose of the finer ones like The X-Files. Just a few days after that SkyCable revamped its line-up and two (two!) of its new channels were carrying The X-Files -- with at least one of them airing it three times a day everyday.

Then a few days ago, I was thinking about that big X-Files movie they made and how it made us all scratch our heads and how a new X-Files movie would fare in this day and age. Well just this morning, the wires announced that Mulder and Scully will own the big screen again on July 25, just 119 days from now.

Yep, aliens are reading my mind and making things happen. Why don't you read this, lollipopheads: Lotto...P207,000,000.00...my pockets.



Speaking of ETs, what is arguably the best X-Files episode ever (certainly one of the best ep of any TV show ever), "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'" will air on AXNBeyond (Sky Ch.35 ) at 6am, 12pm and 11pm of April 4, 2008 just 7 days from now.

I remember seeing this once on its original air date on Channel 9 in the 90s and I remember being blown away. I've never seen it since, so screw work next Friday. And if the aliens do what they're supposed to and make my lotto dream happen tonight, screwing work starts tomorrow.

"Honest mistake," he says.

What he should have said was (all together now): "I...am...sorry."

clipped from www.abs-cbnnews.com Metro (as of 3:10 PM) March 24, 2008 No kid-glove treatment for Estrada Airport police on Monday said they will pursue a criminal case against actor John Estrada for carrying live bullets inside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Chief Superintendent Atilano Morada, head of the Aviation Security Group, said the ASG will pursue the complaint against Estrada if the Pasay Prosecutor’s Office finds probable cause to elevate the case to a trial court. “Anyone who will be caught with live bullets—lawmakers, actors, ordinary passengers—should go through trial,” Morada told ABS-CBN’s morning show “Umagang Kay Ganda.” He said ASG members are required to attend the hearing if the prosecutor handling the actor’s case calls them to the preliminary investigation. Estrada said the bag was borrowed and that he did not know its contents before boarding the flight. "It was an honest mistake," he told reporters.

Update: He was released without bail after inquest since the prosecutor still had to subject the bullets to laboratory tests (they might be chocolate bulltets, see) before formal charges are filed. I think it'll be a while before we get any news on this thing again. Subject in Malaysia now as previously planned with his Brazilian girlfriend whose looks by the way can only be described as bullet-stopping.

John Estrada Bullets Case

Seems like a pretty cut-and-dried case. Would be interesting to know how this pans out.

clipped from www.abs-cbnnews.com Metro (as of 12:07 PM) March 24, 2008 John Estrada nabbed for carrying live bullets in NAIA Actor John Estrada was arrested Thursday by airport police after being caught with a magazine loaded with live bullets of a 9mm pistol inside his hand carried bag while on his way to Malaysia. Estrada, 34, was about to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 around 4 p.m. Thursday when he was stopped by members of the Aviation Security Group. The 15 live bullets in a magazine were spotted in Estrada’s black, hand carried bag as it passed through the final X-ray machine at the airport. ASG members asked for documents for the bullets but Estrada could not produce any. Chief Supt. Efren Labian, ASG district commander, said Estrada would be facing violation of Presidential Decree 1866 or illegal possession of ammunition before the Pasay City Prosecutors Office.

I got nothing against the guy, and a sordid showbiz tabloid is the last thing I want this blog to turn into, but the last two paragraphs of that news bit got me:

clipped from www.abs-cbnnews.com

Estrada previously got in trouble with the airport police when he joked about a carrying a bomb inside his baggage during his trip to General Santos City.

His bags were searched and he was held at the airport. Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao’s lawyer intervened then and negotiated for his release from detention after Estrada apologized to airport officials.

Thought it would be nice to find out how he gets out of this one this time. Will be keeping an eye on this and posting updates as they come . Consider it a study on how the wheels of justice turn for citizens of a certain stature in this territory.

Also, a less lofty purpose of this post: I'm taking this clipmarks thing for a spin.


By the way:

clipped from www.doj.gov.ph

PD 1866, as amended by RA 8294 (Law on Firearms, Ammunition
and Explosives)

Violation of Sec. 1- Any person who shall unlawfully manufacture, deal in, acquire, dispose or posses any low-powered firearm such as rimfire hangun, .380 or .32 and other firearm of similar firepower, part of firearm, part of firearm, ammunition, or machinery, tool or instrument used or intended to be used in the manufacture of any low powered firearm or ammunition (1st paragraph)

Penalty
Prision correctional maximum and fine of not less than P15,000.00

Amount of Bail
P60,000.00

The hits of the 80s explained.

Little Boy : Dad, what do you call that song?
Me : "Beds Are Burning"
LB : That means the house is burning, too?
Me : It doesn't mean the beds are really burning. He's trying to tell you another thing. Like how can you sleep well when there's a big problem.
LB : Like when it's hot and there's no aircon?


Little Girl : How about that? What did he say?
Me : He said, Everybody's got a hungry heart.
LG : Like when we're eating?


LB : How about that song?
Me : "We Didn't Start the Fire."
LB : He's cooking?
Me : No.
LB : What's he saying?
Me : Ummm...

My bank is evil.

The Bank of Commerce branch in my building needs to be razed to the ground and sprinkled with holy water to banish the evil spirits that possess it.

There are four booths but there is only one teller on duty most of the time. Two on paydays.

We never got passbooks with our ATM account and they stopped sending out bank statements in 2003.

If I need to know my balance it will cost me P2.00 by phone. Or I can use the lone ATM (if it's online, that is) and etch the numbers in memory because printed receipts went out of fashion years ago as well.

If I want to get my hands on my money, I have to get it there. Using another bank's ATM will cost me P11.00 a pop. And in all of Metro Manila, I know of only one other Bank of Commerce ATM booth apart from the one in my building.

So this bank's ineptitude leaves us no choice but to use the phone or other banks' ATMs for basic transactions like balance inquiry and withdrawals. And we get to pay it for the privilege.

It's the other great trick the devil ever pulled.

CBCP to Arroyo: Take lead in fight vs corruption

After 10 hours in an "emergency meeting", this was what out brilliant boys in the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines came up with: a call for GMA to take the lead in fighting against corruption. Damn, why didn't we think of that?

I know. Maybe because it's like calling on Satan himself to lead the fight against the forces of evil. Maybe because it's like asking George W. Bush to lead the way to world peace. Maybe because it was Just. Plain. Stupid.

What in God's name were these people smoking?

In my email: U23D

The website says: "'U23D' will be exhibited in many of the 1,200+ theaters around the world equipped with digital 3D projection systems, and will also be seen in IMAX 3D cinemas, which are located in 38 countries."

Premiering in Sundance January 19 and opening in select cities January 23, 2008. The Philippines has exactly one digital theater and one IMAX theater, both 3D equipped. As Letterman would say, Just pray to God our city is selected.


Update 20 January 08: U23D opens at Sundance.

.

Henry and Terri come in last in Amazing Race Asia

Fortunately for them it wasn't an elimination stop and the penalty was nothing more than forced bankruptcy. This meant they would start the race next morning with nothing but their backpacks, the clothes on their backs, and Terri's arsenal of histrionics, which was in full display in the endgame of this leg. (It was so bad that Henry, that mean-looking bruddah of a husband, was reduced to near-bawl just talking about it in the recap interview.)

So they will have to beg for money in South Korea -- source of the single largest expat community in the Philippines and home to countless Filipino OFWs. Hmmm. I say all they need to do is keep that baseball cap with the Philippine flag on at all times and they'll never be far from the kindness of familiar strangers.

Tips for Your Next Makati Coup

...
Thank you Senator Trillanes for giving Mrs. President the chance to once again flex her flabby biceps and show everyone who's boss. A few things to consider for next time:

1. Check the weather report. Especially if you fancy a long walk down the aisle and want some audience participation along the way. We Pinoys hate walking as it is so it's silly to think we'd be more willing to do it in the rain.

2. If your cohorts are old enough to be your father and grandfather, expect little support from the 18-49 male demographic and none at all from females of all ages.

3. We like your choice of venue so keep it up. Consider calling yourselves "The Posh Putschists".

4. Get rid of this guy.


4. Show us you're game. If you start something, bring it to conclusion. If you make a demand, stand your ground until you get it. If you chew gum, blow a bubble or two. Or at least make like you're trying.

5. Give whatever it is you're doing a name. Right off the bat, say, "This is a coup / putsch / rebellion / mutiny / terrorist act / hunger strike / sit-in." You will save us the trouble of figuring out what the hell it is and more importantly you will have people referring to you as coup leader, rebel or mutineer instead of twat.

6. Make sure people get something out of it in the end. If not a new government, then maybe a couple of days off work. And in no case should it be a fucking curfew.

7. Lastly, don't forget yer balls.

The Last Supper in 16 Billion Pixels; Gloria di Sant'Ignazio in 9.8

...

This website by an imaging outfit called HAL9000 lets you get up close and personal with the most famous 13-person portrait of all. Zoom in and you can almost smell the must and feel the cold surface just inches away from your face.

Another masterpiece featured is Andrea Pozzo's Gloria di Sant'Ignazio, the fresco in St. Ignatius's Church in Rome. Zoom in and notice that the mouldings in the painting are painted with cracks -- details a viewer on the ground would never get to see (until now), but are nonetheless there.


This is my favorite of all the artworks we saw in Rome when we were there in 2000. We almost didn't see it; it wasn't in any of the five guidebooks we carried around. We were walking in one of those streets from the Vittoriano leading to the Spanish Steps. There was a sudden shower and we took shelter in the doorway of an indistinct church. I saw the brass sign on the door and said to the wife, "Hey, look, St. Ignatius. It's fate. We have to go in."

What we saw inside was nothing short of majestic. The church vault had opened out to heaven and God's people were being drawn up by the sheer glory of it all. The images were so life-like we didn't know if we were looking at paintings or sculptures. We stood there open-mouthed, unbelieving, awestruck.

When we gathered our wits, we proceeded towards the altar and noticed that the cupola was rather askew. We realized there was no cupola; it was a perspective painting. Much later wifey found a marker on the floor. We stood on it and looked up. The painting was gone and right there was a cupola above the heart of the church. Amazing stuff.

St. Ignatius's Church was the best serendipitous find of that trip (of our lives to date, actually). We discovered it on our second day and by the time we were through with our exhausting and exhaustive 10-day visit it would rank right up there with the Sistine Chapel and the Parthenon as the greatest masterpieces of Rome in our book. Quite a feat considering the competition.
..

Are they serious?

Saw a Philippine Daily Inquirer ad at the movies recently that went:

Fade-in: photo of Romeo Garduce. "How hard can it be?"
Fade-in: photo of Lea Salonga. "Why not the world?"
Fade-in: photo of Ninoy Aquino. "Why can't I come home?"
Philippine Daily Inquirer. Dare to Ask.

I don't know that these words were ever uttered verbatim, but they are attributed to these people using sound-alike voice-overs to boot.

But apart from this, the problematic thing about the whole bit is that while it gives examples of supposed inquiries and dares us "to ask", those questions up there, as any fourth grader would know, are freaking rhetorical questions.

Sure we should all be Inquirers. But by asking "questions" that are by definition "used only for rhetorical effect and to which the answer is obvious, immediately provided or simply not expected," how much inquiring does one do?

Ten Years Old and It Still Kills

...
Tony looks like a human being, Drea de Matteo is a restaurant hostess, Big Pussy's on dry land, Christopher is lean and hungry, Paulie Walnuts looks exactly the same and Livia Soprano is the most terrifying of the lot. The Sopranos Season 1 is midway through its first Philippine television broadcast on Crime/Suspense (Ch.50 on SkyCable) Fridays at 10:00 PM, encore at 3:00:AM. Reruns on Mondays at 1:00 PM and Sundays at 11:00 PM. The girls at the Bada Bing are pixelized, but more than a few choice colorful words escape bleeping.

The Beyoncé Experience. Live in Taguig! (To be exact.)

...
What's with the Taguig crap? A few months back Christina Aguilera went Back to Basics Live in Taguig. Now it's Beyoncé taking her Experience World Tour Live in Taguig.

Why the sudden stress on geographical accuracy with (of all places) Taguig? The Black Eyed Peas and Babyface concerts weren't "Live in Cubao". Passengers landing in NAIA aren't greeted with "Welcome to Parañaque." And The Peninsula, Hotel Intercontinental and Mandarin Oriental aren't branded "Makati". What makes Taguig so pompously special?

Well, is there doubt in anybody's mind that this Taguig thing was rammed down Chritina's and Beyoncé 's vocal cords by the Honorables in City Government, who obviously think getting top billing is the way to being famous, rather than the other way around. Forget working on being known for good governance, superior health care or, ahurm, effective flood control. The quickest way for these people to see their city's name up there in lights is, literally, to put the city's name up there in lights.

Is it working? Is Taguig world-famous yet? Is it getting top mileage from the prominent exposure it gave itself? Not by a long shot. In the past two weeks, there have been two Associated Press articles on Beyoncé (here and here) and Taguig is prominently not mentioned. And good luck getting a shout out from her at the concert: although Beyoncé can't spell Manila, she sure as hell can say it -- and yell it out -- much easier than that freakin' place she's never even heard of but oddly shares top billing with.

Ateneo 65, La Salle 64

.
Behind by six going in the last two minutes, Ateneo scored seven unanswered points -- five of them from Chris Tiu -- to steal the game that was so controlled by La Salle from the toss it seemed like a lost cause as early as the 3rd quarter.

It was never a pretty picture for Ateneo especially on paper -- more than 25 turnovers, only one 3pt attempt converted the entire game, and just two or three players delivering.

But, as they say, statistics are as important for what they conceal as for what they reveal. And so despite the bad figures (and Boom Gonzales's hitting us over the head with it every chance he got) Ateneo pulled another one off and they did it with persistence, composure and heart. Some things you just can't put a number on.
..

Even the New York Times is weighing in.

New York Times Sports
A Nation’s Passion Lives in a Rivalry of Green vs. Blue
By RAPHAEL BARTHOLOMEW
Published: September 23, 2007

In the basketball-crazed Philippines, Ateneo and La Salle are the most prestigious private universities and have also become fierce rivals on the court. More>>
.

Ateneo 69, UST 64.

..
So with the drubbing of defending champion UST, Ateneo forges a knockout match or two against La Salle for the right to face UE in the UAAP finals.

The profound implications of these do-or-die battles between last season's pariahs who have been headstrong in charging their way through the semis in an emphatic comeback, against the runners-up who have just dethroned the defending champions in their own quest for redemption can be captured in two words: Ka-ching!

What do you think of this theory. UAAP tickets are sold, the most expensive of which (Patron Seats) can be bought for P300 apiece officially. But the tickets never reach the public in such straight fashion. Instead they end up in the blackmarket where they are flipped to the hungry masses for a whopping P5000 - P7000 each -- the going rate during the elimination round.

Now, what if the original ticket sellers also controlled the blackmarket. Not too difficult to imagine hereabouts. Bottomline: the sale is recorded as P300 in the books and taxed accordingly, but in truth the blackmarket earnings are ten to twenty times that amount -- undeclared, unrecorded, untaxed.

It's like a license to print money.
..

The Elliott Yamin Maul Tour

..Last week in Pinoyexchange.com I posted this billboard pic I had taken for the Wifey. I thought I'd give the rabid thread denizens a thrill, but guess where it ended up recently. The MySpace page of Elliott Yamin himself -- his profile pic at that.


Anybody know how far I can go with this? Attribution or monetary compensation won't cut it for me. I'm thinking meet-and-greet passes to his mall show which are hotter than UAAP tickets if you believe the forums. Perfect for the Wifey -- one of the earliest Yamin adopters on this side of the planet -- who's having a birthday soon. Save me as well from having to buy her something I'll be paying for through the nose for the next 6 months.

I'm talking to you Mr. Yamin. Least you can do for hi-jacking my pic.
..