Bobo ang mga bata ngayon

Dong Abay reportedly said “bobo ang mga bata ngayon,” regarding the new crop of bands. While I was unable to catch the particular “Maverick and Ariel” show, I believe it’s well within Abay’s character to say something as candid as that on TV.

And I agree with him. A lot of the new kids ARE pretty stupid, and not just in the rockstar way Pepe Smith and Abay messed up. They are really just dumb songwriters. The bands are like cliché factories spewing lyrics that string text and YM status messages together.

A picture of you reminds me
how the years have gone
by so lonely
but why do you have to leave me

I'm saying I love you again
are you listening?
open your eyes once again
look at me crying

-- Stars, Callalilly

Two stanzas of basically nothing. He sees a picture and he’s reminded of someone who left him years ago. Then in the next stanza he’s still saying “I love you” again (years after they broke up) and asks her to open her eyes to see him crying. Unless they’re in a desert island, the lyric makes very little sense. And it ain’t symbolic. Those aren’t metaphors for anything.

Or take this little gem:

Tomorrow never comes
The day will end today
You come to change the truth
Forget it anyway

I'll never be a man
So take it as i am

Make me alive
Make me suffer
Make me feel

-- Alive, Frio

I don’t even know what they’re trying to say. Compare this to anything by the Eraserheads or Dong Abay (even the filler stuff) and you know who’s owned. Not that they’re perfect. Even the best albums by the best bands have their clunkers, but the sad thing about these new bands is that this is their A-game, the best they have to offer.

Of course, there were bad songs and inane lyrics a decade ago, but they didn’t hit it big and vanished quickly. Today, the better songs are still being made by carryovers from the previous generation.

She's back

Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal (based on the National Book Award-winning graphic novel by Carlo Vergara) has performed to sold-out houses at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and garnered rave reviews from both critics and the public alike. Now for its third (and reportedly final) run, Zsa Zsa will once again battle giant frogs, rampaging zombies, and power-tripping extra-terrestrial Amazons, this time at the heart of the Makati CBD.

Show Dates: June 15 to July 1, 2007

Venue: Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium ( RCBC Plaza ), Makati City

Cast: Eula Valdez, Agot Isidro, Joey Paras, Lauren Novero, Kalila Aguilos, Arnold Reyes, Wilma Doesnt and the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company.

I'm selling tickets for opening night: June 15 (Friday) and June 22 (Friday).

Orchestra Center: P800
Loge: P800
Orchestra Side: P700
Balcony: P500

Email me if you’re interested.

My Current Download List

Here's what's on my download list these days:

1. 30 Rock -- Tina Fey gained popularity as SNL's head writer but is actually better at scripted single-camera comedies ("Mean Girls"). This modern Mary Tyler Moore show is so packed full of jokes and throwaway lines that you need to view it twice to get everything.

2. Doctor Who Series 3 -- David Tennant reprises his dream role as the last surviving Time Lord. nuWho manages to combine camp with dark grit, sort of like the weird offspring of Power Rangers and the new Battlestar Galactica. Three episodes in and I'm already in love with the new companion.

3. Drive -- From Tim Minear. A serious "Cannonball Run" that might just be the next "Prison Break." Nathan Fillion plays a character that is so much like Mal that it's enough to give me my "Firefly" fix .

4. The Dresden Files -- wizards, cops, dragons in modern-day Chicago. Kinda like "Charmed" but with more of the grit and less of the camp. Starring a "24" bad guy and the best TV sidekick in a long time.

Sariling mundo

Every campaign commits the occasional faux pas. Sonia Roco pissed off members of the Autism Group last week. You can read more about it here (via Bong Austero) but basically Roco likened the administration candidates’ insistence that they’ll sweep the elections to an autistic’s view of the world. The exact words were “parang may sariling mundo.”

Which accurately describes Team Unity’s press statements.

I’m not sure if it accurately describes autism, though. I gather that it’s a disorder that includes a broad spectrum of symptoms, the origins of which are still being debated. The autism people are right when they say that it’s a bit more complicated than having a “sariling mundo.”

Roco apologized for her (obviously) off-the-cuff remarks, which is the right thing to do. It has nothing to do with her being wrong or the autism people being too sensitive. She offended people and should say sorry, especially since she’s campaigning.

The question is: should she lose votes because of this?

I’m thinking no, and it’s not just because I know her personally and worked for her husband. It’s because one thoughtless remark does not a thoughtless leader make. Everyone has inadvertently offended others at some point; it’s natural. I’m more concerned about people who don’t offend. Reforms are not begun by people who try to please all.

[Sidenote: check out the song “Everyone’s a little bit racist” from the Avenue Q soundtrack]

Should someone lose votes for making a bad analogy? The most we should do is fault her for insensitivity (for which she already apologized). But it’s stupid (I’d say retarded, but I’m pretty sure someone will get offended by that) to assume that she’ll sponsor bills that would discriminate against autistics.

The situation is unlike Chiz Escudero, who lost my vote because he wants higher math eliminated from the high school curriculum. His remarks offended me, sure, but the more important thing is that it encapsulates his stand on the curriculum. Roco’s remarks are about Team Unity, with autism used as a synonym for “crazy” and “oblivious.” Nahagip lang sila, but Roco’s statement (unlike Chiz’s) is in no way an indicator of her legislative agenda. She won’t be outlawing autism anytime soon.

In fact, if they play their cards right, the Autism Society can probably get Roco to advocate their cause in the Senate.

It's the party not the nominee...

...in an ideal world, yes. The party-list system is about polical parties and what they stand for and not the personalities they will send to Congress. However, the implementation of the party-list system is far from ideal. We need to know who the nominees are in order to determine if they are genuine or just backdoor entrances into Congress.

Abalos refuses to disclose the names. It's funny how trapos cite idealism (the "essence" of the system) only when it suits them. Remember, these are the same people who refused to recognize a gay party yet is comfortable with a party composed of Marcos loyalists and a tricycle operators' group whose principal nominee is Abalos's big brother.

A line you should never cross

We call them terrorists because they do things that ordinary criminals and rebels do not. The former commit atrocious acts in order to further selfish goals, the latter take up arms against the government. When the goals of the latter are combined with the techniques of the former, they are on their way to terrorism.

Jun Ducat may well be labelled a terrorist.

It doesn't matter how hard up you are or how noble your cause is, you NEVER PUT CHILDREN IN HARM'S WAY. Doing so automatically cancels any goodwill or sympathy you may generate.

Everyone wants better education for their kids, only a lunatic holds those same kids hostage in order to prove his point. He's almost as stupid as Trillanes and his group. The only difference is that Trillanes didn't know what the hell to do once the TV cameras were pointed at him. Ducat, on the other hand, played to the audience well despite his cliched rantings.

But his masterful use of media doesn't excuse him of his crime. He should be jailed if only to emphasize the point that PUTTING KIDS IN HARM'S WAY IS WRONG.

Pag pinagbigyan natin iyan, parang sinabi na rin natin na okey lang mang-hostage kung may kailangan ka.