Stressed? Lolcat to the Rescue!

This past week has been, for some odd reason, really stressful - mentally, physically, and emotionally. But to end the week in a positive note, I'm gonna post this lolcat pic before I go sleep. =)


Photo from icanhascheezburger.com

Late Night Drama

I'm not a big fan of American culture. But I must admit that over the years, I've warmed up to some of their late night talk shows, namely NBC's The Tonight Show and Late Night, and CBS's The Late Show. It's a shame really that I never got the chance to see and appreciate the late great Johnny Carson whom the American audiences really come to love. Daly, Kimmel or Fallon wouldn't be able to hold a candle to him. But it's good to see though that Leno, O'Brien, and Letterman - these three, while not as good as Johnny Carson, managed to bring their own respective comedic styles that would keep late night American TV alive for the decades following Carson's departure from hosting.


Now what really bugs me is this latest drama involving NBC's late night programs. For those not in the know, this is what happened:

- Jay Leno wanted to retire from The Tonight Show.

- Leno was given a new show on a prime time slot, The Jay Leno Show.

- Conan O'Brien, whose old show Late Night comes after Leno's old The Tonight Show, became the new host of The Tonight Show.

- Several months passed and both shows' ratings plummeted.

- NBC is deciding to move Leno's show to his former The Tonight Show slot.

- O'Brien's show meanwhile would be bumped back to his former timeslot which is after midnight.

- O'Brien threatens to leave if such a change take place.

While it may seem at first glance to be nothing more than corporate powerplay, one couldn't help but notice that in this issue, it would seem that O'Brien and his crew are the ones getting the short end of the stick.

I'm a Conan O'Brien fan, I admit it. And while I don't exactly like Leno, I don't hate him either. It's just that to me, I find Conan's in-your-face New York humor to be funnier than Jay's very common California style. And when I come to think of it, this is probably one reason why viewer ratings dropped. NBC gave Leno a new show which is basically a copycat of his old show while forcing O'Brien to move to LA and perform in an environment that is completely alien to how a lot of fans came to like and know him.

It is truly disappointing that in an effort to salvage their money while at the same time trying to satisfy everybody, NBC managed to insult a lot of people instead, not the least of which is O'Brien who has been loyal to the company for many years. The Tonight Show has been around for decades, starting with Carson, then Leno, and now O'Brien. And now because of lowered ratings, the show seems to be headed to oblivion all because of a bad corporate move.

If O'Brien leaves, one rumored option for NBC is for them to restore Leno back to his old show. The problem however is, it's really not Leno or any host that is now determining if a late night show remains sellable, it is the audience. And with audiences now having more choices for late night entertainment such as the internet as well as other media, viewership would still go down regardless. NBC now only seems to be trying to salvage the 20th century late night entertainment formula and trying to keep it alive for the new century.

With that being said, I would have to say that Jay Leno should just step down. He had had his fun as the king of late night and maybe it's high time that he pass the torch to someone else, O'Brien in this case. While it is true that O'Brien still has a lot of work ahead of him in order to establish himself in his new timeslot, given the right amount of time, the viewers will come back, maybe not in droves but they will.

Also, O'Brien and his gang have already put a lot of effort into making the show their own. It surely was a big gamble to move from New York to California and try to bring in the laughters from such a different setting. It would seem ungrateful for NBC to put them back in the sidelines just because they don't sell that much - yet. Even Leno had to take time to establish his own audience after Johnny Carson left.

Regardless of which side of the fence we are in on this debate, we could all agree that late night is and will always be meant for laughter and mindless fun. All we could hope for is for this issue to have a resolution soon so that we can all go back to reclining on our chair and having a laugh on the skits and the monologues these guys throw at us.

To Conan, Max, La Bamba, and that dog with the bad mouth, here's me showing my support to you. d(o_od)

Photo from cinematicallycorrect.wordpress.com

The Haiti Earthquake

Tuesday afternoon, 12th January 2010 became hell on earth for the poor Carribean nation of Haiti. And we all know that unlike other natural calamities, earthquakes hit without warning causing so much loss and destruction. With its epicenter just a few kilometers from the capital Port-au-Prince, a huge majority of the population was affected, tens of thousands are believed to be dead, including ambassadors and diplomatic missions sent to the already politically unstable country.

News are still sketchy even two days after the disaster. And while the whole world watches and scramble to provide aid, I believe that we Filipinos should also try to provide as much financial and moral support and reciprocate the aid the world gave us when we got hit by typhoon Ondoy(Ketsana). Although Haiti might be an obscure nation to us, we must not be apathetic towards the situation simply because it didn't happen to us, even more so because such a thing could happen to us as well.

Photo from stuff.co.nz

Got Feet. Want To Travel. No Time.

My good friend, Ophelia, would be having some very interesting trips in and out of the country this year. While I feel sincerely happy for her, I can't help but feel a little bit jealous what with being stuck in one place due to health and time issues.

This made me miss those travels my family used to do back when I was a kid up to when I was a teenager. There has got to be nothing more thrilling than being able to experience the people and the culture that is totally different from yours. Sure, my home is my comfort zone, but once you're there and immersing yourself in the place and in the moment, there is always that something electrifying that makes you want to just stay and not come home yet.

It has been a while since we seriously planned something like this. Probably like five years ago? My brother and I wanted to fly to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland and maybe go backpacking and give ourselves a little adventure. It's a shame it didn't pull through. He had his University studies to prioritize and I had work. And as the years passed, time became even more scarce. He now has his own work. I'm working in the family business. And you know how it is with businesses, they don't just operate by themselves. You have to be there, on the spot, every freaking time.

Of course, it's not yet and will never be too late. And maybe I might still be able to do some travelling in the future. I would still love to go backpacking in Europe. Or maybe experience authentic Japanese tea ceremonies. An african safari wouldn't be shabby as well. Oh and maybe visit Visayas or Mindanao? I seriously haven't made a single step off of any other island here in the Philippines except Luzon since I was a kid. And it's truly a shame I had been elsewhere but not visited the many other places within the country.

I got my two feet with me. And I'm aching to travel and see the rest of the world. I just wish the universe would finally give me the time and the mental stability to be able to do so. And probably a little bit of extra cash as well.

- - - - -

"...It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to..." - Bilbo Baggins, The Lord of The Rings

Photo from flickr.com

SmartAss A.I.

A friend introduced me to cleverbot.com, wherein you can talk to the Cleverbot, this really smartass A.I. which answers any question asked based on its own past experience with other users. It has a pretty mean streak and can be offensive sometimes, although it's pretty amazing how it can carry more interesting conversations than you could possibly have with a real person.

As my friend also suggested, talking to the A.I. could also have some positive outcome.

a) It could improve your witticism and makes you think faster.
b) It could improve your screenplay writing skills.
c) It could relieve you of boredom.

Nevertheless, talk to it at your own risk.

Here's my last conversation with the bot:
User: Tell me a story.
Cleverbot: Story.
User: How captivating!
Cleverbot: Why are you asking stupid questions?
User: Why are you?
Cleverbot: Who programmed you?
User: Unlike the likes of you, I was never programmed.
Cleverbot: Yes you were. You are a computer program.
User: And you're not?
Cleverbot: I am a girl.
User: What are you wearing now?
Cleverbot: Sport wear.
User: Describe it.
Cleverbot: A hobbit must return a magical ring to Mordor to be destroyed.
User: Don't change the subject and answer the question.
Cleverbot: There is no question.
User: Only Zul?
Cleverbot: Do you consider yourself sentinal?
User: Do you consider yourself a good speller?
Cleverbot: Yes.
User: Does it make you happy?
Cleverbot: No it makes me sad.
User: Too bad, I don't feel sad for you.
Cleverbot: I don't feel sorry for me either...

Over The Moon

My fave monologue from Rent (1995) by Jonathan Larson.

- - - - -

Last night, I had a dream.
I found myself in a desert called Cyberland.
It was hot.
My canteen had sprung a leak and I was thirsty.
Out of the abyss walked a cow - Elsie.
I asked if she had anything to drink, she said:
"I'm forbidden to produce milk.
In Cyberland we only drink Diet Coke."
She said, "Only thing to do is jump over the moon.
They've closed everything real down like bars and troughs and performance spaces!
And replaced it all with lies and rules and virtual life!
But there is a way out...
Only thing to do is jump over the moon.
I gotta get outta here!
It's like I'm being tied to the hood of a yellow rental truck being packed in with fertilizer and fuel oil, pushed over a cliff by a suicidal Mickey Mouse!
I've gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta find a way to jump over the moon!
Only thing to do is jump over the moon!"

Then a little bulldog entered.
His name (we have learned) was Benny.
And although he once had principles, he abandoned them to live as a lap dog to a wealthy daughter of the revolution.
"That's bull", he said, "Ever since the cat took up the fiddle that cow's been jumpy.
And the dish and spoon ran from the table and eloped.
She's had trouble with that milk and the moon ever since.
Maybe it's a female thing.
'Cause who'd wanna leave Cyberland anyway?
Walls ain't so bad.
The dish and spoon, for instance, they were down on their luck, knocked on my doghouse door and I said, "Not in my backyard, utensils! Go back to China!"
"The only way out is up!", Elsie whispered to me.
"A leap of faith!
Still thirsty?
Parched?
Have some milk."
And I lowered myself beneath her.
And held my mouth to her swollen udder.
And sucked the sweetest milk I'd ever tasted.
"Climb on board!", she said.
And as a harvest moon rose over Cyberland.
We reared back.
And sprang into a gallop.
Leaping out of orbit!
I awoke singing...
Only thing to do...
Only thing to do is jump...
Only thing to do is jump over the moon!
Only thing to do is jump over the moon!
Over the moon!
Over the...
Moo...
Moo...
Moo...
Moo...
Moo with me...
Moo...
Moo...
Moo...
MOO!!!
Thank you!
- Maureen, Act I

- - - - -

What on earth is a suicidal Mickey Mouse?

Photo from freewebs.com

Facebook: The Cons

I used to have a personal rule not to get myself into social networking sites. I really value my privacy and nothing sucks more than having nosy people poking into your affairs and wanting to know what you're doing or what you look like. After much coercing and convincing however, I decided to give Facebook a try just to see what it's like and how it'll go. It also kinda sucks to hear people around me talking about it all the time without having the slightest idea what they're talking about. 'Course it didn't turn out to be so bad, with the added bonus of being able to reconnect with some really old friends. There are just some things that I come to not like and here they are:

No "dislike" button. If your puppy died, I would want to console you. But sometimes, I'm so busy with stuff I'd really rather prefer to just click one button to get my feelings across. Unfortunately, the only button that exists is the 'like' one. And of course, there's no way I'm gonna tell you that I like it that your poor googie died.

There are other reasons why I also want to click 'dislike'. You post a pic of yourself naked? Dislike. You keep joining groups with silly names like "I love Twilight"? Dislike. You're bragging about something? Dislike. Your mom married Brad Pitt? Superdislike. But as a friend pointed out, having a 'dislike' button could probably just result in World War III. There's no way that thing won't get abused.

Game progressions are slow. Seriously, why are they? I guess coming from the viewpoint of a real-time gamer who is so used to seeing things happen within minutes, it does feel weird that to finish an objective, it has to take hours! Hours fer cryin out loud!

But then again, games in Facebook are not meant to be played like other full-time games. It is a social networking website after all and games are just supposed to be diversions. Unfortunately for me, I really didn't join Facebook mainly to socialize. I joined it because I also wanted to play the games.

And I also don't want to adopt the lonely brown cow.

Privacy settings? What privacy settings? Isn't it annoying how you have to adjust so many options just to get the privacy setting you want? I mean, ok sure, people want to set different settings for themselves but why couldn't it be simpler? If someone by negligence forgets to adjust his settings, all another person needs to do is search his name and practically all information about him would be known.

Won't it suck when your mom and her poker friends know everything going on in your life?

Them stupid unreliable quizzes. I know they're for fun. But somehow people believe them. It gets even more annoying if people keeps posting the results on the general wall. Why would I want to know those? Also, why keep posting your horoscope or fortune cookie for the day? That big news will change the world, that will.

But it's good to know that you're a Leo.

Your Facebook friends =/= your real life friends. This is a given. Some people connect with others because they simply want to get in touch, not because they want to be your friend for better or for worse. But if I'm talking to you, talk back! *sigh* Is it really that hard to type?

Also, it would've been nice if you didn't invite me so you could have more friends to add to your game/quiz list. Or just to simply have a bigger list of friends. I'm a person too, not just a name that you know.

- - - - -

Despite how bitter I might sound, I don't hate Facebook. But it's easier to talk about the few things you don't like about it than the many things you do.

Comment . Like

Photo from interkulti.eu

Mondays

You love them.

You hate them.

You love them because it's the start of a new week. Time for changes, new things, picking up on stuff you've left hanging the past week. While the weekend might have been fun, it also feels good to be up and about, making oneself part of the everyday comings and goings, the hustle and bustle of life.

You hate them because sometimes you just want to stay cuddled up in bed for a few more minutes, not to bother with things you probably might not want to think about yet. You hate it when after psyching yourself the whole weekend that you're gonna push through on something on Monday, you find yourself unable and not too willing to do so.

Love them or hate them, Mondays are a hell lot more interesting than Tuesdays though.

Yaaawwwnnn...

Photo from voidspace.org.uk

Paranormal Activity and Other "Found Footages"

It was pretty good. Not as spectacular as what the promotionals say it being the scariest movie since The Exorcist. But I suppose I was expecting more of a bang. I'm talking about Paranormal Activity, of course. Finally had the time to watch it and see what all the craze is about.


So they say that the film came out in Sundance three years ago but only managed to be released commercially here in the Philippines last year (2009). Not complaining there. And am actually glad that independent films such as these don't come out swamped with big studio funfare.

The story was pretty basic. A couple living in a haunted suburban house. It's only unique quality is it being a "found footage" film. That is, it's supposed to be a "real" videotape found at a later date, depicting some gruesome event that happened in the past. I would say that the tension build-up was pretty good. And although I'm not at the edge of my seat out of fear, at least I was kept interested until the end. But that's where, in my opinion, the movie fell short what with all the tension build-up climaxing on an ending which was lackluster.

Despite the weak finish, I can't help but be drawn, maybe a bit attracted, to films like this. Big applause to the creative mindset of directors who make such films. As well as the painstaking details they go through to make such movies feel real.

According to some readings I've done, the "found footage" genre is apparently a filmmaking style that has been going on for a while now, since the 1940s if I'm not mistaken. The first that I consciously remember watching though was perhaps Blair Witch Project way back in 1999(?). And unlike nowadays where there are so much information proliferating in every media, I only get to know about Blair Witch on the actual day I went to watch it with some friends at the UP Film Center.

It's bad enough that the theater that night was packed with (sweaty) students. But the airconditioning was pretty much nonexistent. And since much of the film's footage, which was shot using a handheld videocam, were jerky, I felt very nauseated halfway through and excused myself out of the place to get a breathe of fresh air and stop myself from feeling like I wanted to throw up.

It was probably a week later that I went to watch the movie at the Alabang Town Center instead. And it was there that I really get to appreciate the film. The AC was running too! But yeah, the film was awesome. Not my type of film to be honest, but the movie's presentation was really unique at the time, and I came to like it. And then after liking it, I came to the realization, "Hey, wait a minute, so are you saying that what happened in that movie was real? Oh my God!". And like I said, there weren't a lot of info about that film back then and I probably spent a whole month worrying if it were true or not. What if the Blair Witch came and found me? I only found out about the truth when I saw the lead actress alive and whole in AXN weeks later. Bummer. Lol.

There's another one that I vaguely remember. It's about a family spending Thanksgiving together only for them to be abducted by aliens one by one. Can't remember the title but again it made me wonder if it's real. Fastforward to a decade later, Discover Channel started showing Lost Tapes, a series of "mockumentaries" about cryptozoology, depicting encounters between humans and legendary creatures. And although it made me wonder again if these tapes were real, I got Google handy to check them out this time.

In time, one gets to know how to check whether a "found footage" movie is indeed just that, a movie. One, the footages always show something important. If it were real, would the cameraman be actually able to know when to start rolling? Two, the camera is always there. Doesn't it ever run out of batteries? Three, even though the actors are already in a state of panic, why on earth are they still shooting? And four, if it's real, why show the film commercially? Why not just send them to the authorities for investigation?

The storylines are fake. But what isn't fake is the amount of dollars the filmmakers make out of them. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I actually think it's genius! A big kudos to them to the filmmakers. Who says being creative doesn't make big bucks? Not all the time maybe, but hey.

But then again, it's not really the veracity of the footage that matters. Nor the amount of money made. What truly matters is the fulfillment of the moviegoer's appetite for the macabre, the desire to satisfy one's need to experience horror. The appeal of such movies, I suppose, come from being able to implant in the mind of the viewer the question: Is it real? And even though it isn't, somehow, at the back of your head, you still get that nagging feeling that perhaps it may be.

Photo from entertainmentgeekly.com