Mama Grendel Likes to Wear High Heels
November 13, 2007
I'm absolutely certain that Robert Zemeckis' BEOWULF will raise eyerows of purist Literature professors, or for that matter, anyone who actually had the guts to read the entire epic (If such people did exist). And if my memory of Junior High School English serves me correctly, didn't the titular hero battle Grendel fully clothed? And was Grendel's vengeful mother really a seductive high-heel wearing tramp? Then again, with a visually arresting spectacle such as this, why complain?
I'm no fan of motion capture animation. But this one, I actually enjoyed. Its riveting action sequences are more than enough to divert your attention from the CGI characters' lack of pupils. Plus, the battle scenes did look astonishingly real.
After complete misfires such as Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and The Polar Express, this one is (finally) a step in the right direction. Watch this if you're an animation pundit. Or if you want to see a fat, computer-generated Anthony Hopkins.
Behold, The First Filipino Miss Earth….
November 12, 2007
In a pageant full of surprising results, Jessica Nicole Trisko, a 22-year old Eurasian from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada beat 87 other global beauties to win the title of MISS EARTH 2007. Comprising her royal court are: Pooja Chitgopeker of India (MISS AIR), early favorite Silvana Santaella of Venezuela (MISS WATER) and Natalie Glebova dead-ringer Angela Gomez Duran of Spain (MISS FIRE).
Rounding up the Top 8 were: Peru's Odilia Garcia, the Republic of Georgia's surprisingly sexy Nanka Mamasakhilisi, Thailand's Jiraporn Sing-Ieam, and Switzerland's Stephanie Gossweiler
Completing the roster of the Top 16 were: Sweden's Ivana Gagula, Martinique's Elodie Delor, Romania's Alina Gheorge, South Africa's Bokang Montjane, Czech Republic's Eva Ceresnakova, Nigeria's Stacy Garvey, Lebanon's Amale Al-Khoder, and Dominican Republic's Themys Fabriel.
To anyone who was expecting the Latin streak to continue this year, Trisko's unexpected victory would indeed come across as a complete shock. Even more shocking was the exclusion of early favorites from Brazil, Ukraine, Vietnam, Korea, and hometown girl Philippines from the semi-finals. (At least the latter won Miss Photogenic. Ho hum.) If anything, this year's results showed the triumph of substance over mere physical beauty. Although many would quibble about Trisko's rather unconventional beauty, anyone who actually watched the pageant would immediately argue that she was the only finalist who answered the question with coherence and confidence. India's Chitgopekar (love the last name!) didn't fare badly either. Although her catwalk skills could use some polishing, her exhuberant personality cannot go unnoticed. Had she not been betrayed by her nerves in her final answer, who knows? She could have earned her country the first Miss Earth as well.
If anything, this year's results showed the triumph of substance over mere physical beauty, proving that Miss Earth does take its cause very seriously.
* Full review to follow soon. *
Of Thunder Thighs and Powerful Pipes: My Take on The Beyonce Experience
November 8, 2007
My sincere apologies to the unsuspecting woman at the bottom right. It wasn't my intention to include you in the photo, especially in your momentary lapse in poise. This was just the best picture I could take of Beyonce, given my inept photography skills and our obvious distance from the stage.
As far as the line-up of songs goes, we got more than what we bargained for. Aside from the expected singles like Crazy In Love and Irreplaceable, Beyonce also performed some of her hits from her Destiny's Child era, like Independent Women and Bootylicious. Dreamgirls fodder was kept at a minimum. Only Listen (already a track in her second album to begin with) and a few lines from the show's title theme made into the repertoire.
With that being said, I really had fun last night. Even if my feet hurt from standing on a Monobloc chair for nearly two hours staright! Weeks before, I wouldn't even have imagined myself being in that concert. It was only thanks to RJ's obsession with Beyonce, coupled with his determination to watch the concert with a companion that I was able to score a ticket. So there. (Thanks, RJ! Expect me to pay you the bal ance two payrolls from now. =P)
see you in the forums!