SECRET Be Told

Filed under MADONNA | Friends | Madonnistas | Music | Movies


After months of waiting, I finally got my hands on Madonna's I'm Going To Tell You A Secret CD/DVD.





The CD contains the live audio recording of select songs from Madonna's 2004 Re-Invention Tour while the accompanying DVD is the documentary that premiered on MTV late last year and which I already saw last year through a 'bootleg' copy from my friend Jheck.

Like most of Madonna's fans everywhere, I can only wish that the CD contained ALL of the Re-Invention songs. Just the same, it's still great that Madonna finally has her own live CD (albeit some of the vocals have been pre-recorded). Meanwhile, though I have already seen the documentary directed by Jonas Akerlund (Ray of Light, Music), it was still exciting for me to watch it again, this time in much, much clearer definition. The DVD also offers never-before-seen footage of some behind-the-scenes moments during Madonna's Re-Invention Tour that were cut from the original TV broadcast.

Much like 1991's Truth Or Dare, the Secret documentary is amusing to watch if only to see how the 'Madonna machine' works especially in the stressful process of mounting a high-profile world tour. Say all you want against her, but there's no denying that Her Madgesty works hard for her money and works way harder for her fans! And amidst all that, she still finds time to have fun with her band, her dancers and most importantly, spend time with her family (her daughter Lourdes is just so precocious, her son Rocco is simply adorable and hubby Guy is well..., YUM!!!).

Now if only Madonna and Warner Records will finally release the entire Re-invention Tour concert video which all of us have been clamoring for for 2 years now, that would really be heaven. However, now that Madge has embarked on a new tour, this is turning more and more into just wishful thinking.


Anyway, I would like to thank my very good (new-found) friend, Benster for taking time to get me a copy of I'm Going To Tell You A Secret as well as the maxi-single CD of Get Together. You truly are 'Seattle's Best'! Who knew that I would find yet another fabulous 'sistah' through Madonna?! Can't wait for you to get here to Manila!






Can we get together,
I really, I really wanna be with you...
- Madonna, Get Together




MADONNA
Friends
Movies
Music

Gone Too Soon

Filed under Office | Friends


A very sad update on my last entry...

Our office is still grappling with the shock and grief for the sudden and senseless death of our office assistant Leigh.

She was mercilessly killed early Friday morning on her way to work when she was held up in a jeepney by 3 still-unidentified men. Witnesses say that she resisted and struggled with the robbers and was fatally shot in the process. Since her bag was taken by the criminals, authorities were unable to immediately contact her family.

It goes without saying that this is such a horrible incident and our hearts are still in pain over the loss of such a beautiful and promising young woman. Our thoughts and prayers will surely be with Leigh and her grieving family.



Like a rainbow fading in the twinkling of an eye,
Gone too soon...
- Michael Jackson, Gone Too Soon




Friends
Office

Without A Trace

Filed under Office | Friends


Our office is under stress today and it's not because of our usual concerns with our clients and on-going projects...

We were greeted with the news that one of our assistants, Leigh, has been reported missing since Friday morning. She left for work as early as 4:30 a.m. (her mom walked her to where she took her usual jeepney ride) but she never got to the office and no one has seen or heard from her since. Several calls have been tried to her mobile phone but there was no answer and later, the phone became unattended/out-of-reach.

Checks have been made with the police and several hospitals, but there is still no word as to her whereabouts and her condition. Naturally, her family is in complete panic and worry while we here at the office is doing the best we can to help.

We just pray that she is okay and that she'll find her way home very, very soon. More than at any time, we are hoping for a happy ending...



Office

In Da HOUSE

Filed under Television


There's a new TV show that I have fallen in love with and quite frankly, I'm surprised I have. I normally am not one to like shows or movies that take place mostly in hospitals (or crime labs for that matter) since I'm not exactly a technical kind of guy and I think I have an attention span of an eight year old and watching these shows seem like hard work for me.

Until Dr. House...




House is a medical drama that packs a lot of sarcastic comedic punch courtesy of Dr. Gregory House, an anti-social, limping, skeptically neurotic but intuitively amazing doctor. The show is cleverly written with some of the most interesting medical cases, touching human interest stories and the funniest 'zingers' and punchlines. It's so impressive how they deal with a different mysterious case each week and come up with ingenious ways to determine the cause of and cure for the sickness.

The actors led by Hugh Laurie as Dr. House are really very good and their chemistry is just right. This is probably why I managed to stay focused watching the series since they were so engaging. I learned that House has become a hit in the U.S. and I'm so glad it has. I hope to see more of it in the future.

Try to catch this amazing show if and when you can. You won't regret it.! Dr. House may always say "Everybody lies...", but this time, I definitely am not!



Cuddy: There's no 'I' in team...
House: Yup. But there's a ME, when you jumble the letters...




HOUSE
TV

I CONFESS To Almighty Madge

Filed under MADONNA | Friends


As if my Mega-week is not enough...

I'm on cloud nine one more time this week when a very good friend of mine Jun (who, God bless him, has not gotten tired of sending me amazing stuff) sent me cool Madonna souvenir items from her Confessions Tour.

I got the Confessions Tour shirt, a cute (and pink!) cap, a set of Madge pins and a nice keychain. This is the second time Jun sent me Madonna tour merchandise after I got the Re-Invention Tour items 2 years ago.





Special thanks to Macky, the most fabulous 'courier' ever...

And of course...Jun, as I have texted you, words are not enough for my gratitude... It will come back to you hundredfold... Mwah!



Nobody knows me, like you know me...
- Madonna, Nobody Knows Me




MADONNA
Friends

MEGA Up-Close

Filed under Sharon Cuneta | Television


I had a Mega-wonderful weekend last Saturday when I went with my friend Jheck (a fellow Sharonian AND Madonnista) to SM City-North Edsa for the album tour of our idol Sharon Cuneta to promote her latest CD Isn't It Romantic?.

Despite the heavy rains, I trooped to the mall determined to have my first chance to get my Sharon CD's personally autographed by and have my picture taken with our Megastar (I've had several encounters with her already but had never been photographed with her yet). I got there past 2pm with my Romantic and Sharon Sings Alcasid albums in hand but was informed that in order for me to get a seat in the venue, I HAVE to buy the CD from their booth. It's a good thing that I don't have yet a copy of the All I Ever Want CD which was also available there. Luckily also, the place was not filled yet with fans so we got good seats while we waited for a couple of hours and endured some supposedly fun games and activities while waiting for Ate Shawie's arrival.


But the wait was definitely worth it! Sharon arrived excitedly and gleefully greeted her fans with her usual warmth and energy. She no longer performed a song and just said a few words before she started signing autographs. After waiting another several minutes for my turn to have our CD's signed, I finally was right in front of Sharon as I handed her my three CD's. Here's pretty much how my 'conversation' with the Megastar went (as I remember it):

Me : Hi, Sharon!

Sha: Hi! Awww, that's so sweet! You got all three! Thanks so much!

Me : (Starstruck as expected!) By the way Sharon, congratulations and thanks so much for the episode you did on 'Gay Pride'. I really loved it! It was very empowering!

Sha: You did? Thanks! You know, some of the most intelligent people I know in and outside of showbusiness are gays. One of my best friends is even a lesbian and she's in a commited relationship and when she got sick with cancer, hindi siya iniwan. She stuck it out with her! Amazing, no?

Me : Yup! It's really possible!

When she finished signing the covers of my CD's, she handed them to me and gave me a quick hug and kiss and thanked me again for my support! Yup, Sharon Cuneta kissed ME!, for crying out loud!!! Much thanks to Jheck for bringing his camera and capturing this amazing experience. Now, I have something to show my friends of my close encounter of the Mega kind!






As if that was not enough, I was texted by Jheck yesterday to inform me that we were invited by the members of the Sharon On-line fans' club to attend the taping of Mega's talk show Sharon. It happened to be the episode paying tribute to her millions of fans and her very first "Fans' Day On-Air". Naturally, I wasted no time preparing for yet another chance to see Sharon in a rather historic occassion.

After meeting up with Jheck and the other Sharonians, we went to the ABS-CBN studios for the taping. It was so surreal to personally see the actual Sharon set which I have only seen on TV. It was also fun to be with fellow Sharonians and be given this special episode by Sharon herself. After waiting for some time for the taping to start, Sharon finally emerged on stage and sang "Shine" as her opening number.

She then after started to speak about what the episode is for and chatted with the audience, her guests, her staff and pretty much everyone else in the studio. I have already read and heard about it in many interviews but witnessing her at work proved one thing, the girl CAN talk! There was no dull moment the minute she came out and she kept on rambling on just about any topic that comes to her mind. It was even more interesting to listen to what she had to say during commercial breaks than her interviews with her guests.


We were informed that the episode would be aired the last week of July and even now, I already can't wait to see it. Who knows, the camera may have passed us also and I'll have another chance to see myself on TV again. Narcissism is such necessary evil! Hah!



You make me shine...
like the stars in the heaven...
- Regine Velasquez, Shine




Sharon Cuneta
Music
Television

Hitting A Mark v.2

Filed under MADONNA | Self


As I have briefly mentioned in an earlier post, our office recently had our annual medical exams for our HMO provider and the dutiful(?) employee that I am, I willingly subjected myself to the routine. One of the first stops is a visit to the scale to check on how much one weighs.

It's actually been some time since I weighed myself and I was a bit anxious to get on the scale to know my current number. I knew that I gained some weight over the past year but I was still surprised to learn how much I put on... 25 friggin' pounds!!! Not that I've gotten huge lately (& not that there's anything wrong with that), but I am aware that this could be the start of something 'big' (pun intended). So, I guess it's time to go back playing that long-lost fitness video I have ignored for quite a while and get myself exercising again...

Anyway, moving on to more pleasant things, I just realized that my site recently reached the 30,000-hit mark! Not too shabby, huh? Thanks to all who take time to read my blog. You may not get much from this, but it sure is a great outlet for ME.


Let me also take this opportunity to show you some new images of my one and only Queen, MADONNA. She recently had a photoshoot for her advertising campaign for the clothing company, H & M and here are just some of the pictures released to the public...







Incidentally, Madonna has also released a letter of appeal to gain support for yet another charity close to her heart. This is the Raising Malawi campaign that aims to provide help to the children of Malawi, Africa which is the second poorest country in the world. You may click on their site below for more information.





You may also check out in this site's multimedia section a clip from Madonna's Confessions Tour where she sings "Live To Tell". Click here to view.



We've got to save the life
of every boy and girl
that grows up in this world...
- Madonna, Love Makes The World Go Round




MADONNA
Blogging
Charity
Weight

Just 'Whelming'

Filed under Movies


It's been ages since I last went in a movie theater to catch the latest blockbuster (yep, I still haven't seen King Kong, The Da Vinci Code, MI3 and so much more) but I really took time out to see one of the most-awaited and much-hyped movies of the year. Superman Returns. And for good reason...

Being a fan of the Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve (Superman II is my fave), I was really excited to see how this updated version would play out and if it would be succesful in bringing back the 'spirit' of Superman for the 21st century. When the first photos of Brandon Routh donning the red cape were released about a year ago, I was probably one of just a few who felt that he had a 'promise' while the rest of my friends felt he couldn't quite literally fill in Reeve's shoes. Then I saw the trailers, read the rave reviews and caught TV interviews of Brandon acting and sounding very much like the Clark Kent I knew and loved. I was sold...

And so over the weekend, I finally saw the film with much anticipation and after more than 2 hours, I came out of the cinema thinking... "WAS THAT IT?!?!"


Sadly, the film did not deliver as I thought it would. It had none of the wonder, excitement and fun of what a true superhero flick is supposed to have. Well, maybe not 'none' but it sure did not have enough. As expected, the special effects were light years ahead of the 80's Superman, but the technology barely made up for the over-all feel of the movie which is just plain dragging. I can understand director Brian Singer's intent for 'character development' and 'humanizing' Superman, but it's still supposed to be an action-adventure-fantasy film after all and not a 'Titanic-in-the-sky' romance epic.

Don't get me wrong, I thought Brandon did adequately well (and looked amazingly YUM!). Without seeming to channel Christopher Reeve, he was able to bring Superman/Clark Kent back to cinematic life, if only he was given more scenes with the opportunity to shine. Kevin Spacey also did a nice job as Lex Luthor (more toned-down than the slightly over-the-top Gene Hackman) and Parker Posey was a scene-stealer as Kitty, Luthor's sidekick. On the other hand, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane was simply bland. I felt that Teri Hatcher did even better as Lois in the 90's TV series. Bosworth's spunk-less performance made me miss Margot Kidder (who incidentally was once my crush, believe it or not!) even more.

I would not say that this is an entirely bad film, I'm not that mean. It just wasn't good enough. I was not overwhelmed, but neither was I underwhelmed. Simply put, I was just well... 'whelmed'!



Wow, that's really something, Lex...
- Kitty, Superman Returns (2006)




Superman Returns
Brandon Routh
Movies