America’s Next Top Musician?

Sabi nga ni Tyra Banks, after Cycle 16, next seasons will never be the same. And it did manifest on All Stars cycle.

Episode 8 was about contestants asked to write a song about their own lives and then make music videos. Music video for a modeling competition? I have mixed feelings about this. I had doubts about the outcome and even the relevance of the challenge to the main premise of the competition. Pero for the sake of entertainment (since it’s a reality show in the first place), pinagbigyan ko na ang sarili ko.

Lisa D’Amato’s “I Like Be Whoa!”

Advantage ni Lisa ang challenge since she is already known for her music during post-ANTM career before she was included in All Stars cast. As expected, from writing the song to shooting the music video, Lisa nailed it. Napa ‘whoa’ ako. I’m picky on rap songs dahil hindi naman ako hip-hop person pero I like her song and performance. Bilib ako sa creativity niya on writing songs. Mahirap magsulat ng rap content ah.  Her voice reminds me of Pink. If ever hindi manalo si Lisa (pero malaking chance na manalo siya), I’m sure she still has music industry to fulfill her dreams.

Bagay’ tong kanta sa may mga loud personality, sa mahihilig sa rap music, at sa mga wild.

Dominique Reighard’s “Tooch Ya Booty”

Eto hindi ko ineexpect. I agree with what Game (the guest judge and director of the music videos) had said to Dominique. She has J. Lo. + Beyonce’s vibe, hence, binansagan siyang Jeyonce. I love the lyrics of her song. It might be too vain pero it works on her. Plus, she looks good on her music video. She reminds me of Shakira based on her looks. Naaalala ko pa when I was so upset to her during her cycle (cycle 10) dahil she was the resident bitch. Pero now it changed in fact she might be the dark horse of the competition.

Bagay’ tong kanta sa mga attention seekers, matatambok ang pwet, at sa mga Cover Girl consumers.

Allison Harvard’s “Underwater”

And here comes Creepy Chan. Prior to the music video shoot, she struggled during the song writing challenge because she admits it’s not her cup of tea. But after some words of encouragement and support, it turned out not as I was expecting. Akala ko magiging downfall ni Allison itong episode. Judging on the song, it sounds like a ethereal but mysterious nursery rhyme. Brother… Sister… Mother… Father… Underwater… But the story behind the lyrics was about the tragic death of her father a year ago. Creepy pero it worked on her. And when the music video shoot came, it was a piece of cake. AND HER EYES WERE HAUNTING! Parang siyang Russian doll. Game even commended her weirdness as beautiful and unique at tila nagkakacrush siya sa kanya. Allison’s song reminds me of Enya + Bjork + Lenka + with a touch of krung krung Sandara Park.

Bagay’ tong kanta sa mga weird, creepy, at may lahi ng manika at kuwago.

Shannon Stewart’s “World Go Round”

I admit gusto ko rin yung kanta niya. Pure, sweet, at romantic. Her song was about her husband. Maganda yung pagkakasulat ng lyrics. She has a Faith Hill vibe. Simple lang yung music video setup sa kanya (tela tela lang) pero it worked pretty good. What’s weird is that she looks like a Victoria’s Secret Angel pero due to her Christian belief, she doesn’t like posing while wearing underwear. Gaga rin to. Nakakapagsuot ng bikini pero underwear hindi.

Bagay’ tong kanta sa mga in love sa boyfriend/asawa at mahilig sa ‘fairy tale romance’. Romance pocket books ala Precious Heart also count.

Laura Kirkpatrick’s “Southern Sweet Girl”

Gusto ko si Laura since her cycle (cycle 13) pero I found her cheesy on her music video. Ewan ko pero I feel weird (not in a good way). May pagka Taylor Swift yung dating niya. Pero parang ngongo yung boses niya or parang lasing. Kidding aside, the lyrics of the song is good naman. The concept of the music video about being a Southern sweet girl is kinda cheesy (parang 90s lang) and very limiting. Plus, have you noticed her feet? Parang madumi. Sorry, Laura. Bawi na lang next time.

Bagay’ tong kanta sa mga pa-gurl, sa mga mahilig kay Taylor Swift/Selena Gomez/Myley Cyrus, at sa mahihilig sa stuffed toys at diary.

Angelea Preston’s “I’m Here”

After listening to this song, sasang-ayon kayo sa akin na may pagka-Mary J. Blige ang boses ni Angelea. Gusto ko yung song niya. It really speaks about her story of struggle and how she deals with it. Song of confidence and fight. Ramdam mo yung galit ni Angelea. But unlike her song, medyo di ko type yung music video niya. Though she looked great (diva kung diva), ang kulit niya gumalaw na parang kiti-kiti. And like Laura’s, very limited yung music video niya. San naging kasing astig ng song yung performance niya sa shoot.

Bagay’ tong kanta sa mga nagdidiva-divahan, sa mga nanghahamon ng away, at sa mga nakabangon sa mga problema. Game bitch on *snap snap fingers*.

Alexandria Everett’s “Go, Go, Go…”

Actually, gusto ko yung timbre ng boses ni Alexandria. Parang si Sophie Elis Bextor. And hindi ko inaasahang magaling din siyang kumanta. Ewan ko pero I like her voice. Gusto ko rin yung kanta niya. Maganda yung lyrics. Pwede siya sa mga clubs. Chill kung chill. What I don’t like is her music video. It’s too painful to watch. I agree with the remarks: ang stiff niya gumalaw. Or dahil wrong direction? Siguro kung iba ang binigay sa kanya na direction, pwede pa bumawi si Alexandria. Oo nga naman… Go, go, go pero I didn’t feel the movement. Kung sana nakasakay siya sa kotse habang umaandar (I know it’ll be too impossible since they only shot it inside a studio/warehouse) or setup ay inside a club. And di ko trip yung styling sa kanya. Nagmukha siyang matanda. Poor Alexandria.

Bagay’ tong kanta sa mga mahihilig sa club, sa car lovers, at sa mga on-the-go lagi.

Ang masasabi ko lang about this episode ay:

• I hate to say this pero epal si Tyra Banks. Give the contestants their own time and space. Moment nila yun, huwag na sumingit. Hindi ba sapat na show mo na yan? I found that unnecessary.
• Pot Ledom? I find it corny.
• Some of the music videos are limiting. Example: Angelea, Laura, and Alexandria. Kasalanan ‘to ng production team.
• As expected, paabor kay Lisa ang episode.
• Kung hindi palarin sa modeling industry, I think Alexandria and Dominique can make it to the music industry.
• Sana magrelease ng extended version ng single ni Allison! Hindi matanggal sa utak ko ang lyrics!

Excited to see them at Greece on next episode! Oppa!

Hot like Mexico, rejoice!

Maroon 5 feat Christina Aguilera “Moves Like Jagger” Music Video

Nakakaadik ‘tong kantang ‘to. At least hindi droga ang kinaaadikan ko, di ba? Pero I love sniffing pentel pens. Haha

Nadiscover ko yung song sa sister ko nung pinapatugtog niya. Catchy yung sipol. I asked the title and immediately searched the song on the internet. Then I got hooked. Lagi kong pinapatugtog ang “Moves Like Jagger” dito sa kwarto pati na rin sa work. Sa opisina, pag pupunta ako sa CR para jumingle, eto ang lagi kong sinisipol. Paulit-ulit hanggang sa napapatingin na sa akin yung mga tao.

Kung si Pepe Smith ang Mick Jagger ng Pilipinas, ano kaya ang title naman? Ayoko na ituloy, baka kasuhan ako ng CBCP at ipasara ‘tong blog ko. Haha.

Last August 8, its official music video was released on E! but I was able to watch it on their official YouTube channel. It was directed by Jonas Åkerlund (the one who also directed “Telephone” and “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga, “Hold It Against Me” by Britney Spears, and some Madonna music videos).

Isa lang masasabi ko about the music video: langhiyang Adam Levine, ikaw na ang ubod ng sexy! Umaapaw ka ng sex appeal. Makamove like Jagger nga ako para magka-abs ako, and since mahilig ako mag-topless, magsusuot ako ng low-rise jeans hanggang sa makita na ang buttcrack at ‘karog’ ko. Pardon my words. Magja…Jagger ako araw-araw .

And napansin ko lang during Christina Aguilera’s moment habang kumakanta siya: lagi siya tumitingin sa gilid. Ewan ko kung ano nakain niya . Pero ‘wow’ pa rin. Ganda niya .

Overall, maganda yung song, maganda rin yung music video. Kahit ikaw, gusto mo magparticipate sa dance showdown. It’s your choice kung anong dance steps ang gagawin mo or kung magtotopless ka rin .

Here are some screencaps. Paalala: patnubay ng magulang ang kelangan .

And here’s the video:

Music video by Maroon 5 performing Moves Like Jagger. (C) 2011 A&M/Octone Records.

Hot like Mexico, rejoice!

1 day shoot + cupcakes

My dear college friend and my former school bus mate, Hannah, asked my help for her masters project about IT ethics. Sinabihan niya ako about months ago pero she only remembered and we planned it few days before the deadline. Now, spell ‘panic’.

P – A – N – I – C. (Ok, utu-uto, inispell nga haha.)

They had to come up with a 30 second-1 minute advertisement/audio visual presentation about ethical Information Technology advocacy (like cyberbullying, internet security, responsible ‘clicking’, internet hoax, atbp) and must be uploaded at YouTube.

We picked private information security. Most of us are guilty about this: mahilig tayo mag-post or mag-share ng kahit ano tungkol sa atin. Pero there are certain risks and disadvantages about oversharing your personal stuff. You might never know, yung mga pinopost natin na mga personal na bagay tungkol sa atin ay maaring kumalat nang di natin inaasahan. Pwede ka magkaroon ng mga stalkers, mawalan ng privacy (at gawan ka ng chismis), at magkaroon ng ‘posers’ (mga taong nagpapanggap na ikaw). Baka kinabukasan, magulat ka na lang na makita mo yung picture mo sa di inaasahang lugar. Scary.

So the project is entitled “Share”. It’s about this average girl who loves social networking sites. Then she ‘shared’ her pic there. Tapos all of a sudden, the next day, di niya inaasahang kakalat yung picture niya sa mga unexpected na lugar. No matter where she is, the horror of oversharing still follows her.

Ginawa lang namin yung project niya half-day. Hannah was the producer and I became the director and cameraman. We started at past 3 PM then finished at around 11 PM. Naging talent namin yung sister niya na si Haina since yung ibang friends na gusto gawing talent ni Hannah ay hindi available. Medyo challenging yung shoot day since late na kami nagstart and the weather wasn’t that good. Eh according to our storyboard, some of the scenes require outdoor shots. Pero it went well naman

Here’s the rough storyboard. Pasensya na kung pangit yung drawing. I only did that the day before the shoot. Nakakamiss na ang Video Production courses sa college.

So eto na yung finished product. Ito ang resulta ng aming pagpapaambon (kahit yung camera lang ang pinapayungan). I helped in editing the video. Sorry for the low quality. Medyo ni-rush namin. Ginawa namin ang video at in-upload namin the day of submission. buti na lang at umabot kami sa deadline

And what inspired me to help in her project? Food! Dahil ako ang dakilang bwisita nila, binigyan nila ako ng napakasarap na merienda

Ito ang aking simple pero napakasarap na merienda. Her mom gave me a piece of baked-fresh cupcake with a nice cold glass of iced tea. At naka tray pa. Nagbe-bake pala yung kapatid ni Hannah nang dumating ako. Amoy pancake + cupcake yung buong bahay. Nakakatakam tuloy. Sabi ko huwag na lang kami magshoot at magbake na lang kami

Segue lang. Ang ganda ng carving details ng upuan nila sa dining area.

Then evening comes. This was our dinner. Dinner ito ah. Di ako sanay na ganyan ang hapunan namin. Sanay ako sa tuyo lang. Haha! I forgot kung sino nagluto pero they prepared this nice pasta together with hotdogs and bread. Gusto ni Hannah ng well-done na hotdog. Yung totoo, nasa steakhouse kami?

Mas masarap ang food pag may kasamang kwentuhan. Andami naming pinagkwentuhan to the point na nakalimutan namin na may tatapusin pala kaming project

Natapos namin yung editing at naupload na rin sa YouTube around 11 PM. I needed to go home para masauli yung Canon 550D ng pamangkin ko (Super thanks, Macky! Sorry kung lagpas sa intended time). Then before I went home, Hannah gave me an envelope (alam niyo na kung anung laman nun) and a nice box of cupcakes (made by Haina during breaks). Awww. How toughtful. How Goldilocks. Sinasabi ko na nga ba. Nagdududa ako kay Haina nun. May inaayos siyang mga cupcakes na very different aside from ibang cupcakes for her relatives. Di ko akalaing sa akin pala .

At first I didn’t want them to eat kasi super cute ng cupcakes. But I got tempted. So good. Taste like heaven. I can hear the Alleluia. Nag Holy Eucharist pa!

I ate one cupcake a day (there were 6, so 6 days). I wish I had more cupcakes. Sarap isabay sa malamig na iced tea or  kape (syempre mainit na kape, kasing-HOT ko. JOKE.)

Hot like Mexico, rejoice!

Support Orven Desembrana’s “Bullet Lag”

This unpaid advertisement is brought to you by Smart Bro. Joke haha!

I think ito ang kauna-unahang pagkakataong magpopost about someone’s entry to a contest. I believe my dear reader are very kind to help and support who I endorse. Ako na ang promoter. Kulang na lang maging PR person na ako .

Please support my fellow AB Multimedia Arts graduate and my friend from APC, Orven Desembrana, on his video entry on Skybroadband Life at 5mbps Promo. He submitted his entry entitled Bullet Lag. I can’t place the video here since WordPress doesn’t support the video script.

Here’s how:

1. Register first at http://beta.cge.tv/. Super dali unlike getting your NBI clearance
2. Then go here http://tinyurl.com/4yppl2b and click the CGE! button and leave a comment. It’s that simple as 1-2-3

I hope you support him and his entry. Voting ends on August 7, 2011. You may share this info to your friends, relatives, classmates, officemates, frenemies, enemies, concubines, basta may accesss sa internet Let’s help him win an additional 1 mbps to his connection, joke Salamat!

God bless to your entry, Orven

Hot like Mexico, rejoice!

P.S. Ang mga susunod na vote support request from now on, may bayad na! LOL Pero di ako basta-basta nag-eendorse ng mga bagay-bagay. ME? Mag-eendorse ng ibang shampoo??? *in Kris Aquino’s accent*

bond’s new music video “Diablo”

Dear my fellow bond fans, after ilang taon, here they are, with their new music video entitled Diablo from their 2011 album Play.

At di lang pala pop music ang sumusunod sa Illuminati trend and other shocks-it-does-sound-disturbing fashion, pati rin pala ang classical music. Title pa lang, kaduda-duda na. Joke .

Diablo is their carrier single for their 6th album containing 13 tracks. Ok, is that a coincidence or just playing with the idea of unlucky number? Anyway, nirelease na yung bagong album this last month sa Mexico and soon be available on other countries on September this year. I wonder bakit sa Mexico naunang nagrelease? Bakit, nandito rin naman sa Pilipinas ang Mexico ah? Nasa Pampanga nga eh. Haha!

By the way, I posted a related blog about bond’s new album preview.

Actually, nalaman ko yung announcement via Twitter. Sabi ko sa inyo, maraming updates sa Twitter. I follow Eos Chater, the 2nd violinist of the group and she tweeted this early morning about their new MV. I became super excited to watch it. Kaw ba naman, it’s been 8 years since they released a music video. Ako na ang atat na fan .

The title scene. Ngayon ko lang nakita na may intro lable ang music video nila.

Finally, the girls.

Elspeth Hanson, the newest member, taking Tania Davis’ previous post as violist.

Eos Chater, the sultry talented violinist of bond. She reminds me of Kylie Minogue.

Gay Yee Westerhoff (promise, it’s her name), bond’s uber-sexy cellist. Puma-pout pa .

And Tania Davis, former violist and now violinist of the group, replacing Haylie Ecker, ang ‘babaeng tinanggalan ng buto’/ Shakira .

Lots of graphics. Supercomputers ata gamit nila para marender ito.

My favorite effect: shattered glass. I remember Emma Frost of X-Men: First Class.

2nd attire change. I noticed that they also used 2 sets of string instruments. I still have to confirm kung anong brand yung ginamit nila dun sa 1st sequence. As if bibili ako haha!

And my most favorite part: EOS SINGING! Pero di ko ma-take ang pronunciation ng Diablo: she says it like /DEE-yub-BLOW/. So British

Parang magteteleport lang sila. Again, full of visual effects.

Gay Yee ending the video with a emotive shot. Tangos ng ilong .

After watching, I didn’t expect na ganun ang output ng music video. Comparing on their past videos, this is very different in terms of imagery and concept. Unlike Shine and Explosive which contains a story, this relied on images of girls while playing. Binawi sa visual special effects. Syempre, di mawawala ang sex appeal at fashion sa video. Bond always have it. Kung tutuusin, para akong nanunuod ng isang advertisement ng relo, kotse, or jewelry na nasa 3 minuter-format. But story-wise, I don’t get it. I was expecting of a darker and dramatic output, since the song is entitled “Diablo”. Sana they asked Lady Gaga for some help. Joke

Why am I saying this? Probably because I’m already caught up with Haylie’s presence. Sa lahat ng previous videos nila at noong nasa bond pa si Haylie, she’s always the scene stealer. Kaw ba naman, iindak-indak ka habang natugtog ng violin. It take A LOT of skills to do that.

Not that great but not that bad. It’s fine for me. Ewan ko. As I have said, I’m still learning to like the song. Pero it’s better to have a new music video to watch than nothing .

Share your thoughts about bond’s new MV.

Hot like Mexico, rejoice!