I'm not sure why but this song suddenly came to mind one day and I decided to search for it on Youtube. Very catchy song that was always played on 90.5FM which I enjoyed listening to. Pure 80s gold...



Apparently this song was from a 1987 movie called Mannequin, starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall. According to the page on Wiki, the movie was a flop, but attained cult status later on. In fact, it is now considered a Hollywood success, grossing over $42 million! But what made the movie a flop in the first place? After watching the movie, I realized that the answer was because the story was plain crappy.

Synopsis from Wikipedia:

McCarthy plays Jonathan Switcher, a struggling artist who goes from one dead-end job to another. This all changes when a mannequin (Cattrall) he created for a department store window comes magically to life. The mannequin, "Emmy," was actually once Emahasure, a real-life princess from ancient Egypt. Her beauty and love inspire Switcher to become the best window dresser in town. Of course, there is intrigue involving a rival department store's attempt to drive the heroes out of business, and together the two star-crossed lovers must outwit the store's bumbling security guard, the rival store's scheming executives, and others intent on the store's demise.

The story has a subplot: in order to regain full status as a real life person, the mannequin must find true love.




To me, the crappiest scene in the entire movie has to be the first scene when Emmy is introduced as an Egyptian princess. How can I stomach an ancient Egyptian pair of royal mother and daughter bickering in modern, American-accented English?? I say, if I only heard the audio and blanked the screen I would think that that scene occured in the setting of a modern teenager's room! A totally unneccessary scene! Why did they have to try and justify where Emmy came from anyway?

But really, crappy it may be, even for a movie that is choke-full of stereotypical characters (the bumbling idiotic security guard, the effeminate and dramatic window-dresser, the evil jealous manager etc.) and silly situations, I must say that it was somewhat enchanting. In fact, once you get past that crappy first scene I just talked about, then you'll certainly enjoy what comes next. Maybe it's the likeable leads, or maybe it's that pure sense of nostalgia... Whatever it is, I can see why it gained a cult following after that.

Ahhh... the 80s...

Anyway, back to the 21st century - the-then teenage heartthrobs Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall are already in their 40s and from the looks of it they are still going strong. Particularly Kim Cattrall who has starred as one of the sexy female leads Samantha Jones in Sex and the City. Anthony McCarthy hasn't fared too poorly too as he is one of the hunky male leads in the recent Lipstick Jungle, which was based on the novel of the same name written by the same writer of Sex and the City. What a coincidence, eh? Anyhow, I would say that both have aged pretty well, though more so for Cattrall than McCarthy actually. Still, both elude mature charms.

Andrew McCarthy (top) and Kim Cattrall (below) then and now...



Trivia - Andrew McCarthy is actually one of the original members of the Brat Pack of the 80s. This was a name coined by the media to describe a core group of young actors who would appear in more than one movie as a group of friends navigating through issues such as love, friendship, family and essentially those related to coming-of-age. Some of these movies, which also starred McCarthy, include the iconic Pretty in Pink and St Elmo's Fire. Another well-known one was Breakfast Club. Other notable members of the Brat Pack include Demi Moore and Rob Lowe.



She looks prettier now!

This is actually an old clip dating from a few years back where, I guess, the first of the Pirates of the Carribean was just released and a relatively fresh-faced Orlando Bloom was promoting the movie. But it's extremely hilarious, and rather embarrassing, even, especially for those who contributed to that mark in cyberspace. Revisited the clip just now and I was still laughing my head off in front of the computer! It takes someone like presenter Graham Norton with that in-your-face quality to remind us of the kinds of nonsensical, irrational and incoherent stuff people leave in public forums.

I never realized it but man, to have someone reading those nonsense postings out loud just gave them a whole new dimension!



It's carrot! No, it's broccoli!!!

"...spinach, actually"

Be careful what you leave behind on cyberspace!

I recently found the English translation to the lyrics of A Dios Le Pido, by Columbian singer Juanes. Very interesting.



Que mis ojos se despierten
con la luz de tu mirada yo
a Dios le pido

That my eyes wake up every day with the light of your gaze, I ask of God

Que mi madre no se muera
y que mi padre me recuerde
a Dios le pido

That my mother will not die and that my dad remembers me, I ask of God

Que te quedes a mi lado
y que mas nunca te me vayas mi vida
a Dios le pido

That you stay by my side and that you never leave from my life, I ask of God

Que mi alma no descanse cuando
de amarte se trate mi cielo
a Dios le pido

That my soul never rests when it is about loving you, - my everything, I ask of God

Por los días que me quedan
y las noches que aún no llegan yo
a Dios le pido

For all the days that remain and the nights that haven't arrived, I ask of God

Por los hijos de mis hijos
y los hijos de tus hijos
a Dios le pido

For the sons of my sons and the sons of your sons, I ask of God

Que mi pueblo no derrame tanta sangre
y se levante mi gente
a Dios le pido

That my country doesn't spill so much blood and that my people will rise, I ask of God

Que mi alma no descanse cuando
de amarte se trate mi cielo
a Dios le pido

That my soul never rests when it is about loving you - my everything, I ask of God

Un segundo más de vida para darte
y a tu lado para siempre yo quedarme

One more second of life to give you and to stay forever by your side

Un segundo más de vida para darte
y mi corazón entero entregarte

One more second of life to give you and my entire heart to give you

Un segundo más de vida yo
a Dios le pido

One more second of life, I ask of God

Y que si me muero sea de amor
y si me enamoro sea de vos

And that if I die it will be of love and that if I fall in love it will be with you

y que de tu voz sea este corazón
todos los días a Dios le pido

And that your voice will be this beautiful always, I ask of God

Y que si me muero sea de amor
y si me enamoro sea de vos

And that if I die it will be of love and that if I fall in love it will be with you

y que de tu voz sea este corazón
todos los días a Dios le pido

And that your voice will be this beautiful always, everyday, I ask of God

A Dios le pido

I ask of God



Taken from: http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/spanish-lyrics-translation/25552-lyrics-translated-to-english-juanes-a-dios-le-pido.html

I simply love this scene from Pushing Daisies, 2nd episode.

Kirstin Chenoweth singing "Hopelessly Devoted To You".



I instantly knew where I first saw this actress just hearing her voice - The Music Man, as Marion. Beautiful beautiful rendition of 'Till There Was You...



Apart from the movie scene, the live version is a must-watch too...

And here's the introduction scene to Pushing Daisies... Great stuff.

This is Lee Pace, star of Pushing Daisies and the upcoming The Fall. And from available Youtube videos he seems to play the tough outlaw pretty often, like a convict in Infamous, or the terrorizing brother-in-law to Sarah Michelle Gellar's character in Possession.



And this is also Lee Pace... Not the guy in the picture, I meant that elegant-looking lady played by the same Lee Pace... (!!!)



Goodness, the things actors are willing to go through for their art! Christian Bale lost obscene amounts of weight for his role in the Machinist, now I see Lee Pace who not only lost 25 pounds for the role in Soldier's Girl, but also plays a transgender who gets involved a love affair with a military guy, with tragic results. From the trailer, Soldier's Girl is a tragic love story which was based on true events. It has also been critically acclaimed.

Watch the transformation here, a video clip which I found on Youtbe which sparked my interest in this made-for-TV movie. Movie magic can get pretty creepy too... But it's definitely great to see filmmakers who are willing to push the boundaries on these controversial but real social issues. Kind of reminds me of Torch Song Trilogy, which is by the way a great movie that I highly recommend. I wonder if this lives up to its reputation?



And this is one jaw-dropping scene from the movie. I'll never look at Lee Pace the same way again! Not for the under-18s...

As someone who line dances I get to hear lots of Spanish songs as many line dances are cheoroegraphed to these songs. One of the dances I liked was titled "Plain Spanish" to the song Ave Maria by a singer David Bisbal. It's funny cos all this while I had the impression of David Bisbal as someone with a certain age... As in, not old, but probably someone who has been a singer for many years and was probably in his late 30s or even 40s.

So when I searched for the video for Ave Maria recently, I was pleasantly surprised that David Bisbal, a Spaniard, was in fact a young chap!



Ave Maria was released in 2002 and was his debut song. My guess is David Bisbal was marketed at that time as this young, romantic heart-throb. Pretty good looking fella, but I wonder who directed that terrible video?? I'd fire the dance cheoreographer also, if one was involved in the making of the video. Have lots of issues with that curly mop of a hair too... But I guess that became his trademark as he kept it for his subsequent albums.

Fortunately, I have discovered that he chopped off that mop for his latest album released in 2006. Much more handsome, I would say. Seems like he has changed his music style too. Now he has gone on for a more rocker image, as can be seen in this song Silencio.



He is, by the way, only 29 this year. So much so for that impression of a veteran singer in his late 30s or 40s.

One of the first singers I got to know since I took Spanish classes was Columbian rocker Juanes. He was the favourite singer of my first Peruvian teacher and just recently, my new Spanish teacher got us to fill up the lyrics of one of Juanes' songs. He quite a hit, apparently, in most of the Spanish-speaking world, with numerous Latin-American Grammy awards to his CV.

Here are two songs which I particularly like, both from his album Un Dia Normal (A Normal Day).

Fotografia (photograph), a duet with Portugese singer Nelly Furtado


A Dios Le Pido (I Ask of God), the song that made him an international sensation.


Just something for a nice Sunday morning, before the dreaded Monday sneaks in...

This is a really cute and funny clip of Andrea Bocelli and Elmo, where Bocelli sings Elmo a goodnight song.



Time to... say goodnight...
Lie down, here is your bed...
You had such a wonderful day
Playing and counting to twenty...

What a change to the lyrics!

The came on my way back from work when I read the headlines on newspapers others were holding on to.

Another shining star has fallen.

Lydia Sum's passing will certainly be a huge loss to the Chinese people. I'm only a quarter-of-a-century old but her laughter, her spectacles, her permed hair, her image of staying happy and laughing heartily against all odds are vivid images for me. I'm not from HK, but like many other Chinese around the world, we all grew up watching her on TV, in the movies, on variety shows, TV serials, talkshows...

I watched a variety show on TVBJ just now with all her celebrity friends honoring the memory of Lydia Sum. They all described her as a generous, motherly, trustworthy and optmistic lady - and growing up watching her in interviews and in her works, I completely believe all they said. I believe all these were not exagerated versions of their memories of her just because of her very recent passing. I believe that these memories were all very genuine, very sincere and very initmate for all these celebrities who spoke.

There were friends who were of a certain seniority who accompanied her through her earlier life in the entertainment circle such as Eric Tseng, David Chiang, Carol Cheng and many others, and then there were young friends who were nurtured by her in her later part of her life such as Esther Kwan and Hung Tin Meng. I watched a series recently where Lydia went all around the world to catch up with old friends who were once prominant people in the entertainment scene. Hence, I do believe the impact she has created in the hearts of many. I believe all these friends talked on the show not due to any motives but simply because they wanted to share their memory of her.

For her daughter Joyce Cheng to lose her mother at such a young age, I can't imagine the pain she is going through right now. May Lydia's friends help her through this difficult time.

When Leslie Cheung passed away, followed by Anita Mui, I felt that that marked the end of an era in HK's music industry. With Lydia Sum's passing, it now marks the end of an era not only for TVB, but also for Chinese all over the world.



RIP Lydia Sum "Fei Fei"

A tribute to one of the greatest and most iconic figures in Chinese music history - David Luo Da You.

Listen to the melodies. Sing along to the lyrics. Beautiful. Each of them timeless classics. They just don't make music like this anymore.

东方之珠 Pearl of the Orient. A personal favourite.


你的样子 The Way You Look


恋曲1990 Love Tune 1990

What a sad, disappointing and disgusting start to 2008.

Edison Chen has apparently implicated several female celebrities in a series of scandals involving sexually explicit photos, including Twins member Gillian Chung and Cecilia Cheung. Ever since the news appeared in January, the news has just been escalating since then.

I think following Edison's video statement on his blog, he has inevitably admitted that the photos were indeed authentic.

I know Edison has always marketed himself as the bad boy of HK entertainment. But the fact that he has, please excuse the crudeness of the words, bedded and recorded down his 'conquests' is just pushing the envelope. Makes you wonder about how seedy the entertainment circle can get...

I suddenly realized that all these had an eerie resemblance to that Korean movie Scandal with Bae Yong Jun. If you have watched that movie you would know what I mean...

Nevertheless, I feel sorry for the ladies involved. I mean, I suppose it is also up to them to protect themselves by not allowing themselves to be photographed / video-taped in such a demeaning fashion. But to keep such a collection of photos and to be so careless with them only suggests to me that Edison has little respect for the opposite sex.

Most of all... Catch the culprit!! Catch that shameless person who started circulating these terrible photos!! I'm sure he or she is basking in the chaos he or she is causing right now.

And look what the incidents have done to the female stars involved...

http://blog.mystarhill.com/gossip/sex-scandal-effects-towards-edison-chen-gillian-chung-bobo-chan/

I feel sad and very sorry for them. I also feel sad and sorry for their loved ones.

For all you know, this could be the end of civilisation as we know it, and future generations would only remember ours as a decadent society void of morality.

Those of you who are frequent TVB serial viewers would have seen this actor before, usually in a supporting role but usually quite good in whatever he plays - Dayo Wong's effiminate colleague in War of the Genders, the scholarly but lazy Sheung brother in Safe Guards, the bumbling NATO (no-action-talk-only) police inspector in To Catch the Uncatchable etc.... Kinda like Wayne Lai in the sense that both are talented but very underrated.



Cheung in the TVB serial Love Guaranteed.

I watched that Stephen Chow movie All's Well Ends Well (家有喜事) again just now and decided to look up the information of the pivotal song in the movie. I was quite surprised that the composer cum singer was none other than Cheung Chi Kwong

相逢何必曾相識. With 韋綺珊.



Hokkien version of 相逢何必曾相識 by Stephen Chow in the 1991 movie 家有喜事.


Sandra Ng goes hilariously out of tune with her version of her favourite song in the same movie.



皇后大道東 - another very familiar song, just never knew who sang it. Now I know it was David Luo and Cheung Chi Kwong! Written by David Luo.


Crotching tiger, hidden dragon, indeed!

I've talked a lot about Daniel Brühl and his multi-lingual abilities. Just some clips to show why I am so fascinated...

Lots of people claim to know several languages, though really for some, their 2nd or 3rd language proficiency may only be at an elementary level. To really express oneself with linguistic competence to confront any kind of communicative situation in different languages is something I've always admired.

I know he speaks good French as well though I can't find any clip of that. Nevertheless, here's Daniel speaking in German, English and Spanish

Daniel Brühl speaking in his native German in movie Das Weisse Rauschen. This portion was from the 2nd part of the movie after Lukas (Brulh) decided to stop his medication which caused a relapse of his condition.


Daniel Brühl speaking English in the interview for Ladies in Lavender.


Daniel Brühl does an interview for the movie Salvador in Spanish.

A shitty week calls for some emergency remedy... If only for its temporary effect...

This is a very cute interview with Ewan McGregor at the time he was promoting that awesome movie Trainspotting.



And another cute clip which not only has Obi-Wan as a tomato but also Judi Dench as a lobster. I think I also saw Lucy Liu, Willem Dafoe, Gael García Bernal etc... I like this advertisement!

I don't know how I feel about Britney Spears... There's something about this young person's seemingly wretched lifestyle that facinates me to the point that I'm almost ashamed about it... The poor girl should get her privacy and space, but at the same time I have that feeling that could have brought all these upon herself in the first place too. She's living in a bubble that consists only herself - she doesn't see what's going on outside and doesn't seem to care about that either. It looks like she's simply feeding off her own fantasy of her own version of the world she lives in.

I may be wrong...

Paris Hilton got her humbling experience through her imprisonment and the removal of a huge chunk of her inheritance by her grandfather. One has to wonder when will Paris' good friend Britney finally be humbled.

I stumbled upon this article about the pop singer who, fresh from news of her baby sister's pregnancy, was recently rushed to a hospital and put into a 72-hour mental lockdown where she was held for involuntary medical examination on grounds that she was a danger to herself and to other people around her.

What's Wrong With Britney? (Newsweek article)

Here's what happened that led to the debacle...

Apparently, now that her ex Kevin Federline has gained temporary full custody rights to their two children, Britney is left only with child visitation rights. However, on the day when the kids were supposed to go back to their father, Britney locked herself in a room with one of her kids, Jayden, refusing to hand the child over to Federline's assistant. Following that, ambulances and police arrived "got through the door and tied her down to a gurney", following which she was rushed to the hospital and kept under an evaluation known as "5150 Hold," which is, according to the medical code, "When any person, as a result of mental disorder, is a danger to others, or to himself or herself, or gravely disabled."

Britney on 72-Hour Mental Lockdown

Look at those photos of her. Dazed, delirious, stoned, just... empty.

In the ambulance

It's a disturbing, extremely eerie scene.

It's hard to think of reasons how such a promising young person could become like this, and only at the age of 26. It was said that she was under the influence of drugs when this happened, though we all know that the troubles started way before this faithful day. Bad behaviour leading to drug use? Or drug use resulting in bad behaviour? Just how much did papparazzi play a part in this? How much was her family a part of this? And just how much was it simply the results of her own decision? Only Britney herself knows for sure - once she is humbled enough to think through it.

I wonder if I am sounding too harsh on Britney. But I believe that there must come a time for a wake-up call for both Britney and the people around her. The fact that her mother wanted to publish a parenting book amid all of Britney's debacle suggests to me that perhaps, while Britney herself is living in a fantasy, so are those around her. Oblivious to the fact that really, Britney Spears needs help.

I am reminded of what her ex-bodyguard talked about in that MSN article, particularly about Britney and her children....

'When the kids are happy, she's happy. When they're crying or unwell, she's not sure what to do," he sighs. "When they are unwell, her answer is, 'Give the baby a bottle of medicine.' I've never seen her deal with them like a full, attentive [mom]."'

'Barretto relays several head-shaking, hair-raising incidents involving Sean and Jayden. Among his claims: Spears, who last week was charged with driving without a license (the New York Daily News believes her last valid license was issued in Louisiana and expired in 2001), once erratically zoomed off with the boys in the car ("We followed her but she was driving like a lunatic on the wrong side of the road. It was terrifying"); she forgot to tote along food for them during an outing to a dance studio; she would keep them up late at night so they would sleep longer in the morning; and she would upset them with her oddball antics and emotional outbursts ("She speaks to them in weird, creepy, baby voices, in made-up languages, which they just don't get. All it does is unsettle, upset and scare them. Often she would scream and cry uncontrollably. Imagine what that is like for young children"). Concludes Barretto, "Her children need attention, and Britney doesn't appear to be willing to give them that at the moment."'

Britney's kid sister, Jamie-Lynn, currently has woes of her own too, shouldering the responsibilities of motherhood at the tender age of 16 (truly a case of a child bearing a child). Fortunately, despite the mistake, she just appears like a better-adjusted girl and I only hope that she doesn't follow in the footsteps of her older sister. At least be a better mother than her. For the sake of the children.

Can you imagine the confusion, trauma and instability surrounding the Spears toddlers?

So really, what happened to her?


On a side note, I really liked Rosie O'Donnell's blunt but very true response to Jamie-Lynn's pregnancy:

O'Donnell says she talked to Chelsea (O'Donnell's daughter) about Britney Spear's younger sister and, as described in O'Donnell's blog-speak, "Here's how it went," she says.

"Mama u know the lady with the umbrella and no hair," Chelsea said. "Her sister is a teenager and she is having twin babies." (Actually, she only announced she was pregnant).

"And what do u think about that Chels?" asked O'Donnell.

"Teenagers can have babies?" her daughter asked.

"Yes they can, and it is never a good idea," she responded.

"Y didn't she take pills that make u not have a baby?"

O'Donnell's response: "Hmmmmmm." (From People online)

Thanks to Funn who recommended this fun website through her own Point2e...

http://www.morphthing.com/

Basically, you take faces and morph them into a new face. Very interesting system, especially for those who may have come across the theory of 'averageness' in psychology. Essentially, this refers to the findings that the human species seem to be attracted to faces with 'average' looks, achieved by morphing a number of faces together to create a composite face. It was found that generally, the 32-face composites were the most attractive to most people.

You can see what Funn came up with in her post.

But what attracted me in the website was this instead - Make Your Own Andy Warhol Style Pop Art.

Call it vainity but I initially wanted to see myself as an Andy Warhol painting but I currently don't have any decent pics of myself in my current computer. So I thought to myself, "who would I want as a Warhol pop art painting?"

And so I found this picture of Christian Bale lying in my computer:



And decided to give this underrated, fabulous, handsome, talented actor his due place in pop culture history...


Unfortunately it is not immediately recognizable as Christian Bale. Maybe it's the picture. May wanna experiment some more one day :P

I was suddenly reminded of Billy Gilman. Wonder if he most Singaporeans knew this young singer? I only remember him from the Taiwanese cable channel where there was one period of time years ago when the channel was promoting his album.

I remember watching the MV of the very touching song called Oklahoma and thinking "Wow, this young boy has such a smooth and angelic voice..." Never fails to make me tear whenever I watch this MV.



And there was also One Voice, which was actually his debut song in 2000: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPouj2SrM4w

Then I heard his Christmas songs from his Christmas album and that same thought about his vocals crossed my mind...



Well, time really flies and he's 19 already! Fortunately, that voice has matured but hasn't changed in quality... The clip below shows him performing in 2006.



I didn't realize he was a country singer until now!

Nevertheless, this is one duet worth listening to - Charlotte Church and Billy Gilman singing Dream a Dream.

Recently watched Mrs Henderson Presents. A very good movie with witty dialogue, engaing storyline and wonderful acting. Definitely worth watching!

Also bought the Hairspray DVD! yeah!!!

Oh, by the way, remember how I whined about how Edna Turnblad should be played by a woman and not a man, and certainly not John Travolta, in my Hairspray review?

Here's what I said - Was the original character supposed to be a man in drag??? Even so, I don't see why it should be the case.

I shot myself in the foot.

Well, as I found out, the original character WAS supposed to be a man in a drag! In the Broadway version, Edna Turnbald was played by Harvey Fierstein, a well-known theatre actor famous for playing women on stage. Harvey was also famous for his plays, most notably "Torch Song Trilogy" which was released in 1981 on stage to raving reviews. According to his bio on IMDB.com, here's how Torch Song Trilogy came about:

"Following a severe bout of depression following the break up with a lover, Fierstein wrote about the painful experience and the end result was "The International Stud", which was produced at the Theater for the New City in 1976 (later at La MaMa in 1978) with Fierstein introducing and starring as his Arnold Beckoff character, a gay man whose bisexual lover dumps him for a female. Fierstein went on to write two more plays about Arnold and introduced "Fugue in a Nursery" and "Widows and Children First!", in 1979 at La MaMa, with Fierstein again playing the lead. Eventually Fierstein integrated the three Arnold plays into a single play, "Torch Song Trilogy", which was first presented off-off-Broadway in 1981, and the rest is history."

Following its theatrical success, Torch Song Trilogy was made into a movie and released in 1988 and is now a cult classic.

Harvey Fierstein has a tradmark gravelly voiced which you can hear in this clip of the Tony Awards performance of "You Can't Stop The Beat" by the Hairspray Broadway cast.



Obviously I've never watched the Broadway version before but I'm sure Harvey Fierstein makes a much better Edna Turnblad.

But as for the performance in that clip... Err... Well, they were singing and dancing at the same time so I guess can't expect totally flawless singing... -_-" Despite that, Hairspray snagged an impressive number of 8 Tony Awards, although The Producers (2001) remains the record holder of 12 Tony Awards.


Anyhow, coming back to Harvey Fierstein, here are two clips which I found online from Torch Song Trilogy. My my, Harvey has put on lots of weight since...:

Arnold painfully reminds Ma that a homosexual relationship is no less stronger than a "normal" heterosexual one, and that the loss of his partner is as painful as in any other relationship:


Arnold and Ma reconcile their difference in a poignant scene:


Watch the trailer here:.

Blake shows how it's done.

Remember Blake Lewis from American Idol 6?



Boy, must have been really exciting to watch that beatboxing live on stage...

Let me say that again... WOW.

And there's also a very interesting rendition of Maroon 5's She Will Be Loved.



Both from the American Idols Live! Tour in Manchester. I'm convinced that Blake thrives on live performances. I have to say that these few performance clips of Blake Lewis in the Live! show that I found on Youtube are much more exciting than all of his American Idol competition performances added together.