weekend@sunstar.com.ph Saturday, November 27, 2010
movies
Unstoppable
4 feature
Cherry blossoms
Farewell to all that Are they Cebu’s answer to the Jonas Brothers? Let Clint Holton P. Potestas help you decide.
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Sun.Star Weekend | November 27, 2010 CHERRY ANN LIM Managing Editor, Special Pages and Features JIGS ARQUIZA Editor CLINT HOLTON P. POTESTAS Writer
cover story
“We give songs as gifts. They are priceless.”
Farewell to all that O
N that particular Thursday morning, they were supposed to be tense, but instead, in a corner of their classroom, Kyle Miguel and William “Billyboy” Wong were strumming Joe Brooks’ Superman. Sure, they have the privilege to play with this and that, but the brothers have narrowed everything down to something that says goodbye to all their heartaches. They don’t usually bring musical instruments to school, but after their classes, they’d meet their eldest brother, Gabriel Kieth, at the rehearsal for a concert on the following day. And when this all-male triumvirate takes the spotlight on stage, they would prefer to be identified as the Wonggoys, an endearment their mother coined when they were kids. Launching on Dec. 9 in Cebu, their all-original debut album, I Am Not Sure What To Say But I’ll Say It Anyway, is as symbolic as narrating how they survived depression when their father was involved in a diving accident - and disappeared without a trace. RALPH RHODDEN C. CAVERO Graphic Designer
Sun.Star Weekend | November 27, 2010
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feature
“Papa was our main inspiration for this album. But of course, Atch was written for our sister Nicole Rae on her 18th birthday. We give songs as gifts. They are priceless,” said Gabriel, the lead vocalist, who is also the head of the advertising team of the family-owned International Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. “The first parts of the songs in the album were done in five minutes, but it took days to finish every single one of them. My favorite track is our carrier single. Jason Marz was a main influence to our music and Papa, our inspiration,” continued Billyboy, who belongs to the same Business
Administration class with Kyle at the Center for International Education Global Colleges in Panagdait, Mabolo. The memories linger, but no more tears for them. With that, the sun shines brighter as the band is up for making more music. The fall, the rise, and how they managed to pull the strings all together: take the lead from this quick interview and listen to what music they have for us - as a gift, no less. Album favorites Gabriel (G): Post No Bill is a song we wrote for our Papa Bill. It’s a song about our feelings, about his passing away. Most of us have a hard time coping up when losing a loved one. This song is my way of lightening up the burden of the situation. William (W): Happy-go-lucky listeners can relate to our carrier single, my favorite track in this album. It’s all about having a good time and being cool about it. Kyle (K): I’m Not Sure What To Say But I’ll say it Anyway. This song was originally about me but a lot of editing had to be done because my mom might get mad. Cebu’s Jonas Brothers? G: As artists, originality is the key. We create our own works of art. W: We’d like to think that our music is different. K: Music-wise, we’re different.
Cherry blossoms by Clint Holton P. Potestas
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BOUT four pages of the day’s paper were scattered on her desk. At 9:15 p.m., her morning reading was not yet over. Quite odd to an average reader, but once she starts reading, it always means cover to cover, Working with siblings word by word. If you’re Cherry Ann Lim, you can’t seem G: No disadvantages for me. The to have enough information. advantage is we see each other everyday, But 14 years of her life in journalism are surely and we get to resolve differences in ideas enough to prove that it isn’t a wild goose chase out there. easily. Communication is the key to a healthy As Sun.Star Cebu turns 28 this month, her memories relationship. They don’t argue with me that still serve her right – the pains, the joys, the cards that much. We complement each other. showed her the way, and how she stayed slender after all W: I can only think of advantages. We spend these years. so much time together that we have a special Before taking her current post as Soft Pages bond. My mom tells us all the time that we are Managing Editor, she taught business courses at the our brothers’ keepers. University of San Carlos-Main. Well, to be very clear K: No disadvantages. Even arguing and about it, she never wanted to become a journalist. Selfdifference in opinions are an advantage. As the employment was the first plan after completing her youngest, I respect my older brothers. We listen degree in Business Management at the Ateneo de Manila. to each other. Since she was already a contributing writer, she was already on top of the list when the editorial team If you were to compose a song for Sun. was in search of a copy editor for Weekend (this very Star’s anniversary, what would the title be? section that used to run on Sundays). G: Ode to the Paper Boy. “Every time my article went out, I’d call Erma W: Read All About It. (Cuizon, the editor at that time) and tell her that I have K: Sun.Star Spangled Banner. found copy errors,” she laughed. “So when they were looking for a copy editor, she told me that I was fit for the job since I am good at nit-picking.” For a year, she stayed in that position until the PHOTOS: ERWIN LIM
management commissioned her to edit the business page. “She just laid all the business cards on the table,” Cherry recalls the time when the former editor of the business section turned over the job to her by giving her all the contact numbers of possible sources. “I really didn’t know what to do – nobody taught me how to write – but I just learned along the way. I didn’t even know what a lead was.” Happily enough, she has survived the test of time. But there is one memory that lingers: her experience as a neophyte journalist in 1998, covering the former President Fidel Ramos’s visit to Balamban. Patience has always been a virtue. It took her two hours to travel from the newsroom to the site where Ramos was supposed to conduct a press conference. Withstanding the heat of the sun, she waited for hours, but some cases just didn’t seem to come out as planned. “I was disappointed. I was just walking side by side with him, but I was not allowed to speak to him. I threw a question, but the PSG (Presidential Security Group) barred me. So I was not able to write about it – imagine, after all the hours spent waiting for him,” she goes on. But despite that experience, she moved on. Thus, she has already embraced every detail that comes along with journalism. “I would not be in this job if I didn’t love it,” she beams. “In my first year, I lost seven pounds – never gained them back.” PHOTO: ALEX BADAYOS
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Sun.Star Weekend | November 27, 2010
movies
F
inally, we’ve found the ideal use for Tony Scott’s hyperkinetic, headacheinducing filmmaking style: a movie about a runaway train, barreling through small Pennsylvania towns filled with hardworking, unsuspecting people, at 80 mph. And threatening schoolchildren. Oh, and the train is a half-mile long and it’s carrying hazardous material. Sounds insanely implausible, but that’s part of the fun of “Unstoppable”: How many layers of danger can they pile on here? Scott starts slowly and steadily cranks up the tension, and given the escalating action, his trademark tricks make sense. The grainy camerawork and various exposures, the snap zooms and quick edits all enhance the incessant sense of motion (and Scott actually tones it down here compared to some of his recent films like “Domino” and “Man on Fire,” which were borderline incomprehensible). The train rumbles and growls, rattles and clangs, and we’re in the middle of it all — on the tracks, between the wheels, underneath and on top of the cars. It’s overwhelming – but in a good way. And this time of year, when there’s so much serious-minded awards bait out there, “Unstoppable” provides a welcome escape. It also makes you appreciate the substantial, tactile nature of Scott’s methods, the lack of computer-generated effects. Those are real people on real trains doing real stunts, and while the premise may sound crazy – or like something out of a star-studded ‘70s disaster movie – it really happened.
Mark Bomback’s script is based on a 2001 incident in Ohio in which a train carrying hazardous cargo traveled 66 miles without a crew. But because this is a movie, the speeds are even faster, the danger is even greater, and there’s only one man who can stop it and save all those innocent lives: Denzel Washington. Yes, Washington is back with Scott for the fifth time (following “Crimson Tide,” “Man on Fire,” “Deja Vu” and “The Taking of Pelham 123”) as engineer Frank Barnes, a 28-year railroading man who’s about to be forced into retirement. Alongside him is Chris Pine as Will Colson, a rookie conductor and exactly the kind of guy Frank and the other company veterans resent: young, cheap, and taking the older workers’ jobs. Naturally, these two opposites will not only learn to get along but reach an understanding and work together to avert disaster. Washington brings his usual steadiness and charisma, Pine gets to show off both humor and daring. It’s pretty laughable that these guys would find time to chat about their wives, family troubles and regrets while hurrying to stop a massive, errant locomotive, but at least “Unstoppable” makes the effort to flesh out its characters to allow us to, you know, care whether they live or die. (The cutaways to Frank’s gorgeous daughters, watching the breaking news unfold while working their shifts as Hooters waitresses, is a bit much, though.) Frank and Will at first are traveling head-on toward the unmanned behemoth, but once they find a way to avoid it, they decide to take off after the train and try to yank it to a stop from behind (which is how the real accident played out). Along the way, Rosario Dawson guides them and serves as the voice of reason as the traffic supervisor back at headquarters who’s watching the mayhem on live television and trying to manipulate the many unwieldy moving parts without getting anyone killed. Dawson is strong, as always, as a confident woman in a predominantly male world. One bit of warning, though: You may feel exceedingly edgy driving home from “Unstoppable.” Just make sure to stop and look both ways at train crossings. (AP) IMAGES FROM THE INTERNET
Sun.Star Weekend | November 27, 2010
short reviews
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audiosyncracy
Cassandra Wilson, “Silver Pony” (Blue Note)
127 Hours
Strangely, “127 Hours” serves as a persuasive tourism promotion for getting away from it all and going exploring in middle-of-nowhere Utah. Really, it does, even after James Franco finds himself trapped beneath a boulder for – that’s right – 127 hours while exploring caves and canyons by himself. Director Danny Boyle, working again with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (“Slumdog Millionaire,” ‘’28 Days Later”) as well as Enrique Chediak (“28 Weeks Later”), makes this remote, sun-drenched part of the country look dazzling – appealing in its vastness, dramatic in its severity. And even though the movie is about a man who’s stagnant for five days straight, Boyle makes the story vital and vibrant in his signature kinetic style.(AP)
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
You want tears? You want convulsive sobs, weepy remorse, pleadings for forgiveness? Well, look elsewhere, because Eliot Spitzer isn’t going to give them to you. What he will do in the documentary “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer” is provide measured, succinct contrition. The former governor of New York knows he made a mistake in hiring high-priced call girls: “I did what I did. And shame on me.” He takes this mistake very seriously — describes it as if it were Greek tragedy, compares himself to Icarus. He explains matter-of-factly that such dalliances fulfilled his needs in a less risky and emotionally taxing way than embarking on a full-blown affair, and his stoic demeanor comes in sharp contrast to his infamous rages, which his staffers referred to as the emergence of his “evil twin Irwin.” (AP) IMAGES FROM THE INTERNET
After a foray into standards on her Grammy-winning CD “Loverly,” the sultry jazz singer Cassandra Wilson is back to her trademark eclectic ways on “Silver Pony,” a hybrid CD mixing live recordings from a 2009 European tour and New Orleans studio sessions. Wilson opens the album with the same tune that kicked off “Loverly” — the Billie Holiday standard “Lover Come Back to Me.” But the live concert version is performed at a livelier tempo and her excellent and stylistically versatile band has more space to improvise, with drummer Herlin Riley’s shuffling brushwork and newcomer Jonathan Batiste’s upper register piano playing bringing the singer to some ecstatic hoots. Wilson’s own songwriting abilities are highlighted on “Beneath a Silver Moon” in which her seductive vocals
are answered by Ravi Coltrane’s soulful tenor sax. Wilson’s deserved reputation for reinterpreting old Delta Blues tunes is showcased on her harddriving version of Charlie Patton’s “Saddle Up My Pony,” enhanced by Marvin Sewell’s twangy slide guitar work. That’s followed by a drumless version of Stevie Wonder’s “If It’s Magic” that Wilson sings at a sensuous languid tempo to a delicate guitar-piano accompaniment. Other tracks — such as a slightly funky version of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” and a bossa-meets-blues version of Luis Bonfa’s “A Day in the Life of a Fool” — though easy on the ears, fail to leave a deep impression. The result is an inconsistent but above-average jazz vocal album that falls below the high bar set by Wilson. (AP)
Santa Claus is in town! The Dutch version of Santa Claus, Sinterklass, or to be more exact, St. Nicholas, recently arrived in Cebu to give gifts to under-privildged children. A project of Let’s-Share.tv, a web-based portal that accepts donations for the benefit of the needy children in Cebu and it’s outlying islands, as well as some other provinces in the Visayas. Last Tuesday, St. Nicholas, riding a motorized banca, set out to visit Moalboal, Malapascua and Tanjay, to deliver more than 30,000 pieces of school supplies.
CHECK THIS OUT: Wilson closes the album with a lovely duet ballad, “Watch the Sunrise,” with John Legend singing and playing the piano in a way that is more adult contemporary than jazz.
IMAGE FROM THE INTERNET
Philippine PEN authors in Powerbooks Cebu
The Philippine Center of International PEN (Poets, Playwrights, Essayists, Novelists) will hold a special event called “Meet the Philippine PEN Authors” on December 3, 2010, Friday, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Powerbooks Cebu, SM City Northwing, Cebu City. This event features National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera, poet Marjorie Evasco, novelist Jun Cruz Reyes, poet and anthologist Herminio Beltran, Jr., and fiction writer Charlson Ong. The writers will read from their work and talk about their craft. “Meet the Philippine PEN Authors” is cosponsored by Powerbooks Cebu, Anvil Publishing, the Marco Polo Plaza will launch tonight it’s annual Internation PEN in UK, and the Swedish International Christmas Train of Hope, a fund raiser which will benefit Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). the young cancer patients of Cebu. Book lovers are invited to attend the event. The event will start at 6:00 p.m.
Marco Polo Plaza launches the Train of Hope
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Sun.Star Weekend | November 27, 2010
circus of fancies Pami Therese Estalilla
A small tribute to a favorite storyteller There are ideas that are bigger than me, ideas about life, time, and the waking world that have hovered about me all my life. Only in recent years have I ever considered the prospect of trying to put them into words. No, I’ve not been very successful thus far. They’re still bigger than me. But some of them are just the right size for Neil Gaiman. And that, my friends, is why he is my favourite writer. It’s not just the fantastic absurdity in his tales, or his ability to weave modern myths with ancient tools, or his way of being playful and dark at the same time and making it believable. (Well, those are good things too, and not far below on the list.) But primarily, it’s because I am able to identify, to go “That’s
books
it!” in between those stories, and it’s just so delightful to relish that somewhere, somebody was able to verbalise the sentiments I always felt were a bit elusive for matterof-fact description. It’s a sort of indirect empathy; it helps to lessen the frustration and the loneliness, and it’s comforting. I wouldn’t go so far as to herald Gaiman as the BEST author I’ve ever encountered, because he’s probably not. And because Best implies objectivity and going by, even so slightly, by some universal criteria on a writer’s ability. “Favourite” is subjective, and that’s what he is to me. Furthermore, Neil himself would probably not agree on being judged by universal criteria, unless it somehow included parallel universes
and the ones we can only dream of. Here’s a line from one of his introductions that spurred me to write all this. (It started as a status message, but apparently, the sentiment was bigger on the inside. Hence “Notes”.) “I still feel a sense of indeterminate but infinite possibility on entering a lift, particularly a small one with white walls. That to date the doors that have opened have always done so in the same time, and world, and even the same building in which I started out seems merely fortuitous – evidence only of a lack of imagination on the part of the rest of the universe. I do not confuse what has not happened with what cannot happen, and in my heart, Time
and Space are endlessly malleable, permeable, frangible”. -Neil Gaiman I hope I get there someday. “There” being the place he is right now in terms of being big enough, at least, to translate the elusive sentiments into words that hit other dreamers in the right spots and make them say, “That’s it! That’s how I feel.” And still, at the same time, be slightly smaller than the ideas themselves, because no matter how brilliant he gets, or how irreverent he allows himself to be, the storyteller must always respect the story. (Oh, and “There” also being that place that takes me into other worlds. Of course. And the photo shows Neil Gaiman. Writing. Because that’s what he does best.)
Songs of Love and Death: All-original tales of star-crossed love In this star-studded cross-genre anthology, seventeen of the greatest modern authors of fantasy, science fiction, and romance explore the borderlands of their genres with brand-new tales of ill-fated love. From zombie-infested woods in a postapocalyptic America to faeryhaunted rural fields in eighteenthcentury England, from the kingdoms of high fantasy to the alien world of a galaxy-spanning empire, these are stories of lovers who must struggle against the forces of magic and fate. Award-winning, bestselling author Neil Gaiman demonstrates why he’s one of the hottest stars in literature today with “The Thing About
Cassandra,” a subtle but chilling story of a man who meets an old girlfriend he had never expected to see.
of his deadliest adversaries and in the process is forced to confront the secret desires of his own heart.
International blockbuster bestselling author Diana Gabaldon sends a World War II RAF pilot through a stone circle to the time of her Outlander series in “A Leaf on the Winds of All Hallows.” Torn from all he knows, Jerry MacKenzie determinedly survives hardship and danger, intent on his goal of returning home to his wife and baby—no matter the cost.
Just the smallest sampling promises unearthly delights, but look also for stories by New York Times bestselling romance authors Jo Beverley and Mary Jo Putney, and by such legends of the fantasy genre as Peter S. Beagle and Tanith Lee, as well as many other popular and beloved writers, including Marjorie M. Liu, Jacqueline Carey, Carrie Vaughn, and Robin Hobb. This exquisite anthology, crafted by the peerless editing team of George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, is sure to leave you under its spell.
New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher presents “Love Hurts,” in which Harry Dresden takes on one
TEXT AND IMAGES FROM WWW.FULLYBOOKEDONLINE.COM AND THE WEB
Sun.Star Weekend | November 27, 2010
crossline
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scribblings
Cab rides and scribbles
When does the world stop? by Halzi L. Duites The world stops when... girls’ eyes and jaws drop cheeks flame up after a stolen kiss. The world stops when... the holy grail is raised the air turns into a sea of whispers.
IT WAS SOLITUDE inside the white cab with tattered coal black leather seats that mattered to her at that very moment. And that crumpled piece of paper neatly folded inside an undersized manila envelope. She remembered the look on the lady’s face, and her trembling fingers that held the cold brew. After perfunctory “Hi’s” and “Hello’s,” she had no words for her, then. Silence. She detached a page from a notepad and started scribbling circles. Three circles, two arrows, three names. Me. Him. You. She drew another arrow under Him and wrote “Him chasing Me.” She drew another under You and wrote “You chasing Him.” She added “Who’s chasing you?” and wrote in caps “NOBODY.” The woman she was with said nothing. Still, she
waited the silence out. The woman shook her head in exasperation and lighted a cigarette. Smoke twirled around her head that enveloped her Clinique-prepped face. The lady tapped her cigarette into an ashtray, looked at her in the eyes and said, “What’s it in you that’s not in me?” She sighed and tried to reach her hand. After all, she knew the lady was a good woman, though fierce and unyielding sometimes. But before she could even touch her, the lady said, “Although I know I could have loved him more, I knew, from the very start, that he’s not the right one for me.” She stood up, hurriedly hailed a cab and left her dumbstruck. It probably was too much for her. But just when is reality too much for anybody? She wondered. The cab she rode swaggered against dust, dusk and gust. She gazed back at that little piece of crumpled paper, leaned back and closed her eyes.
The world stops when... Pacman in his ornate boxers showcases his lethal fists puts the hulk to sleep. The world stops when... a tall dude with azure eyes speaks to a native about snowman and apples. But... The world doesn’t stop when... fleas make a feast over a man in soiled shirt coiled at the flyover. IMAGE FROM THE INTERNET
BED & BREAKFAST
IMAGE FROM THE INTERNET
grinlight
Traffic light Two elderly women were out driving in a large car-both could barely see over the dashboard. As they were cruising along they came to an intersection. The stoplight was red but they just went on through. The woman in the passenger seat thought to herself “I must be losing it, I could have sworn we just went through a red light.” After a few more minutes they came to another intersection and the light was red again and again they went right though. This time the woman in the passenger seat was almost sure that the light had been red but was really concerned that she was losing it. She was getting nervous and decided to pay very close attention to the road and the next intersection to see what was going on. At the next intersection, sure enough, the light was definitely red and they went right through and she turned to the other woman and said, “Mildred! Did you know we just ran through three red lights in a row! You could have killed us!” Mildred turned to her and said, “Oh, am I driving?”
Got something to share with us? Sun.Star Weekend invites readers to contribute original, unpublished poems and essays or commentaries about funny or memorable moments in your life. Please email your contributions to: weekend@sunstar.com.ph
49 Gen. Sepulveda Street, Cebu Tel. No (032) 255-0105 & 412-5551 Fax No. (032) 412-5552 Email: palazzo_pensionne@hotmail.com
website: www.palazzopensionne.net
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Sun.Star Weekend | November 27, 2010
peeps (people, events and places)
Going French at the Marco Polo It was a celebration of all things French at the Marco Polo Plaza this past week as the hotel featured cuisine from the French province of Brittany. On Friday, Nov. 19, a special lunch was served to members of Cebu’s media. The guests were also invited to sample an array of cheeses flown in specially for the occasion. The following night, the Soiree Beaujolais was held to celebrate the first harvest of this year’s grapes. A short audio-visual presentation featuring Michel Lhuillier piloting his helicopter, bringing in a case of French wine, was shown to the attendees, eliciting oohs and aahs. Music was courtesy of the Renaissance Band, with Verni Varga performing several musical numbers.
FRENCHIFIED. (Clockwise from top left) Dr. Nestor Alonzo, Bobby Nalzaro, Marco Polo’s AIleen Quijano, Anne Marie Tan; Carlo Suarez and Manny Amador; Cheese master Richard Poier; Jay Chiongbian, Lani Pasquet, Christina Frasco with husband, Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco; Marco Polo’s Belle Lumapas with Hiromi Tamura and Hiroko Sato.
My name is Bond, Danny Bond Ayala’s The Terraces was transformed into an open air dance floor last November 13 as Club Radio 93.1 celebrated its first year on the airwaves. Danny Bond of the famed producers The Bassmonkeys deejayed that night, to the delight of Cebu’s clubbers.
DANCE PARTY. (Left photo) Danny Bond of the Bassmonkeys; (Bottom photo) Dennis Paolo Mendoza (right) with Paul Kiener (holding microphone) with a friend.