Rantings of a Sofa Spud

Nora Elena

2011-06-10T16:45:00.012+08:00

Well, after reading countless reviews/recaps/blogs about the current sensation sweeping the nation (depending on which nation you’re in – well, whichever that nation it is, consider it err, swept), Nora Elena, I’m tempted to do my own write up about it. I had wanted to wait until the series ended to write an overall review of it but like many others I feel compelled to blog this all consuming virus out of my system.

I can’t recall the last Malay series that I’ve watched in its entirety. The reason I started watching this was quite simply the intriguing storyline piqued by my interest in Mr. Aaron Aziz. Hehe. I can’t exactly remember how I came across the promo for the series, but I think it was through FB, the source of all modern day info nowadays. Being a fan of Aaron Aziz, i thought I’d check out what new series he will be in and since it will be on TV3, reminded me that my mom will be watching it as she is a fan of the Akasia slot on TV3. Since disowning her stepchild, Astro, a few years ago, TV3’s Akasia slot has been my mom’s source of entertainment as she watches at least 2 Malay series 4 days a week (another is on TV2 at 4.30PM). That from someone who watches mostly HKTVB dramas. You know, come to think of it, I think my Chinese mother watches more Malay dramas than my Malay mother-in-law. LOL.

Ok, so the story of Nora Elena, can essentially be divided into 2 parts. Pre-Cameron Highlands and Post Cameron Highlands hehehe. I loved the first 12 episodes of the series. I have to say it started off really really well. The momentum was there. We see how Nora Elena survived an attack 10 years ago and is now engaged to Saiful Idham and working in KL. All is well til she meets Seth Tan. Hence starts the “love triangle” although there was never a doubt that Elena’s heart always belonged to Eid.

Admittedly I had not read the novel in which the drama is loosely based on. So I can’t do any fair comparisons between the two. I did manage to flip through an online version of the novel (with pages missing and only half of the novel) out of curiosity as I have heard from some that the Seth Tan in the drama is more timid compared to the scheming Seth Tan in the novel. I mean, looking at Aaron Aziz’s cute innocent face, how can that be the face of a schemer? :p So I think they were trying to make the drama Seth more passive in the sense that he loved Elena, but he would not intentionally plot to steal Elena from Eid. But because of circumstances beyond his control, he somehow managed to get her through no fault of his own. I’m sure this is to make it seem like the main protagonist is a good person through and through, so that viewers would root for him. As if we needed the extra incentives.

The first 12 episodes was about how Seth kept making cute puppy eyes at Elena while her relationship with Eid unravels through a series of misunderstandings. With an impending wedding, and the groom throwing in the towel at the last second, the opportunity of a lifetime presents itself to Seth. The sexual tension in these episodes was unbearable. The scenes between Seth and Elena were so cute and sweet, you can’t help but fall for them as Seth tries to declare his feelings to Elena. It is his patience and persistence that we love. So, the premise was set with viewers rooting for Elena to forget about Eid and accept Seth’s proposal. Every episode was rife with questions of when is the wedding gonna happen? And when it finally did (phew!), it was onto the next question of when is Elena gonna start falling for Seth? Or when is the “honeymoon” gonna happen?!

So, that was all Pre-Cameron Highlands. Because we all know that after Cameron Highlands is where Elena has “accepted” Seth . Ironically, this is where the show started losing it's momentum. Scenes with Seth and Elena are of course the core attraction for many watching the drama. After Elena has accepted Seth, I was hoping for more intimate scenes of them together – well nothing major since this is afterall a MALAY drama, but seeing them actually in 1 bed would have helped. Or at least more body contact which he is now allowed but instead we hardly see anymore of the scenes which made the drama the talk of the town and Seth the new Casanova. I’ve seen many Malay dramas with more risqué scenes (male lead topless lying in bed with female (clothed), male lead kissing female lead (on the forehead)), so I don’t know why none of these scenes were included here. It’s as if the writers were toeing some kind of invisible lines which in the end actually made the scenes between the two leads seemed very awkward. Many complained there was a lack of chemistry between Aaron Aziz and Siti Saleha as husband and wife (some speculated due to the age gap (?!)) but in my opinion, it was due to this “awkwardness”. It was if they were worried that Aaron’s real wife, Diyana, was gonna jump out of nowhere and say, “AHAH!”. I think they could have let loose a little on that to achieve a better effect and capitalize on all the chemistry that they’ve built up in all the prior episodes. Hey, a peck on the head, if not a hug etc. I mean, the guy has waited 10 years for this, so you’d think he would make use of every chance he got. But the closest we got (thus far) was him smelling her headscarf after he took it off (okay, that was cute). I’m starting to wonder how she even managed to get pregnant!

See, it doesn’t even take long for mundane married life to set in and our beloved couple to be besieged by one problem after another. Well, a drama is nothing without the endless conflict, right? We slowly see Seth now morphing into Eid. No longer the unsuspecting, loyal, love sick Seth waiting patiently trying hard to win Elena’s heart, but the jealous, irrational, hot tempered Eid, waiting to pounce on every mistake. All thanks to Yvonne, of course. Yeah, that woman needs to be shot. Are you blind, Seth? Really, your “best friend”?!

And now I can see since Eid is out of the picture, they are trying to pull Amir into another love triangle with Seth and Elina. I think they should have stuck with Eid at this stage in the show, I mean no point in dragging in a new angle since you can’t develop it further because the show’s about to end already. However, this really has been a well acted drama from all of the actors & actresses involved. The cute and funny DIla, the adorable Malik especially when he is with Zira, even Kak Pah, Makcik Jijah, Pakcik Nordin & Pak Ali who manages to act so “sempoi”. They could all have their own spin off series. I can see it now “Malik and Zira take Penang”. LOL.

The drama has also left many questioning whether a man like the charismatic Seth really does exist in real life (not to be confused with the equally charismatic Aaron Aziz), with many wishing that they can meet/marry someone like him. Well, I’ll tell you the answer once and for all. YES. Someone like that does exist. And yes, we have all met/dated/and even married someone like Seth. Remember the guy that was so sweet to you when you first met? The guy that would blow off his friends just to spend time with you when you were dating? The guy who told you he loved you? The guy who held your hand and comforted you when you cried? The guy who took care of you when you were sick? The guy who bought you flowers for Valentine’s Day, your birthday or for no reason at all just to make you happy? The guy who proposed and said he will be the best husband you can ever have? <--- ok, i just added that one in cuz I actually fell for that line.

Yes, that was the guy that we all know early on in our relationship. He may not be that same romantic person now, many many years later, after 10 or so years of marriage and a dozen or so kids, but I think we should be glad to know that and remember that we did indeed experience something of the sort in our lifetime. For the singletons, there is hope for you yet. Well, especially after this drama, I’m sure many men would try to emulate Seth’s persona, let’s hope, for the betterment of their own selves and people around them.

The madness will be over by next week. I can’t help feeling that the ending will be a bit rushed after the slower pace of the beginning. I have been downloading the show online to watch because I don’t get TV3 (and countless other channels) included in my Astro package in this region. But next week, I’ll be watching the ending LIVE with my mom when we go back to my hometown for a holiday. Wonder what it will be like watching it live and with subtitles. But for now, I’m gonna go rewatch the earlier episodes and relive the glory days gone by :p

13/6/11 1.47AM

Oh, the pain and hurt in their faces. Sobs sobs...

Ok, just watched episode 21 and felt compelled to RANT. First of all, thank you to whatever powers that control the internet for the unbelievably speedy connection tonight, something unseen since the dawn of mankind. Downloaded in a mere 30 minutes? My, my, what did I do to deserve this? Well apparently, nothing. So I get punished by this episode.

Of course this is deemed the "revelation" episode in which Nora found out that the person that actually raped her all those years ago was her own husband, Seth. Ok, a few things wrong/I don't like in this episode:

1. The rapist tore the necklace from her and threw it onto the ground. The purpose being? If Nora is basing her suspiciouns based on the necklace itself, since it was thrown on the grown, Seth could have found it and kept it since he was in love with her. What they could have done was have the rapist purposely tore off the necklace and put it in his pocket as a memento. That way there would be no question of a doubt that the person who has possesion of the necklace is the rapist, as Nora would remember him taking that from her and keeping it.

2. Nora Elena returning to the scene of the crime to look for the necklace! Helloooo. For someone who had just been raped, they would be too traumatized to even face going back to the crime scene, let alone go wandering there all alone looking for her necklace again. As many would know, the perpetrator will also always go back to the scene of the crime (either to cover his tracks, to relive the moment, or re-commit the crime). So under no circumstances is it logic for a young girl who had just gone through a traumatizing experience to go back to the scene of the crime, ALONE, unperturbed, for whatever reasons.

3. Seth confessing that he did it because he felt horny after watching some dirty movies with his friends and Nora just happened to be there at the right time at the right place. This takes away the nobility that they built Seth up to be. Not to mention the essence of what Nora truly meant to him. I mean, they took pains to paint Seth as a through and through good guy that would not even think of stealing someone else's fiancee, to a sex maniac? I admit, I had not read the book, but I think diehard book fans are jumping all over this. Now I know why they had to retitle the drama to Nora Elena instead of using the novel's title of Kasih Yang Suci. Because, I think (I think lah, cuz I didn't read the book) in the book, the reason Seth raped Nora was because he wanted to "booking" her. So in a sense it means that Seth was already in love with Nora and clearly wanted her for himself and he did what he did because of his "pure love" for her hence the title, which is now tarnised and hence unusable.

Ok, I can understand why the writers would choose to change point No. 3 lah. This is probably to avoid people imitating what will then be perceived as acceptable behavior – to rape someone as a way of “booking” someone you love and because you love them anyway, then that makes it ok. Which of course, is not. Hence inspiring a host of “noble rapists”. So they of course had to modify it to be something that was born out of lust and hence is a very wrong act to commit. But couldn’t they have done it in a different way? This truly tarnished the noble nature of the story. Ok, I think I’ve overused the word noble here. Forgive me. It’s 2AM and the effects of the cough syrup is just kicking in.

What I like though:
1. The superb acting from my man Aaron Aziz. He can really make you feel his pain and the suffering he has gone through all those years. You can't help but feel for him and want Nora to forgive him because he truly makes you believe that he has repented - even the moment after he had just committed the crime. The one mistake that marred his entire existence. That tarnished the pureness of his love for the one person he cared most about. (Wahh man, this drama's making me sound corny. Note to self: slap yourself hard, woman!). But I heard they cut his close up. Maybe it was for the health of the nation that we didn't get to see his teary eyes. Otherwise, I think the ER in every hospital would be very busy.

2. Siti Saleha was awesome as Nora. Her hurt and pain. The betrayal she felt.

3. I liked that Seth refused to let Nora out of the room when she asked him to move. I like it when Seth is all persistent and especially when he refuse to relent. In a sense he is forcing Nora to face the situation instead of running away from it. Forcing Nora to forgive him. Yes, you CAN force someone to forgive you. Especially if you're Seth Tan. Forceful. Me likey.

And the winner is...

2009-05-29T21:37:00.002+08:00

Raise your hands anyone that didn't think Kris Allen was going to win American Idol? Yeah, me too. I mean, he is good and cute as a button, but who had bigger star power than Adam Lambert? Ok, I did want him to win, but now that he has, I'm not sure it's such a good thing. It's a case of getting what you want may not necessarily be good for you. Now he has to make a record that the execs at AI wants him to make whereas Adam can go all out and make the album that he wants.

Kris looking as stunned as the rest of the world when Ryan announced he was the winner

Best men for the job

There was also news that Kris won by a wide margin. And one of the reason was, according to reports, because Danny Gokey's fans started voting for Kris after their man went home. Well, both Adam and Kris have different styles on extreme ends of the scale and appeal to different audiences. But I'm sure both of them will find equal success. Well, I certainly hope to see more of them in the future and hope that they don't suffer the Idols curse and fade from oblivion before the next Idol is crowned.

Singing a different tune

2009-04-06T00:49:00.003+08:00

Ok, so I do give a shit who wins Idols this year. C'mon when you have someone as cute as Kris Allen, you'd care to tune in every week just to watch that puppy sing. Admittedly, the guys are just so much better this year. Ok, the guys are just butchering the girls. I mean, they don't even need the girls this year, they can just scrape the girls now and it would just make for a more entertaining show. Other notables are Matt Giraud. Man, that guy can emote behind a piano, which is more than I can say for blind guy.

And I still think Gokey is hokey. Hehe bet you never heard that one before. There's just something a little David-Cook-pretentious-like about him. He does have a good voice but it's just the whole charade of poor me, my wife died, but I have such a good up-bringing and I'm the director of a CHURCH CHOIR, so I'm gonna use all that inspirational shit to get through the shit that happened to me - that just screams LAME-O. And speaking of Cook, he's just started the Idols tour and he's already showing attitude. Asking fans to back off? Hello, I don't see you complaining when you wanted all those fans to call in and vote for you on the show. Now that you've won, they've suddenly become a pain in the ass? See, I knew the kid had attitude problems from the begining. And he's on the tour, he's off the tour, he's on the tour, he's off the tour. I question his true commitment.

Digressing. I think the most anticipated performance every night must be from Adam Lambert. Everyone is just dying to see what he'll get up to. He can sing but he would rather entertain with flamboyance. Not that it's a bad thing. At least someone is spicing up the show other than Simon and Paula's ass grabbing under the table (which we never get to see).

Let's see, who else, oh Bollywood boy. He'll make it big in India once Idols is over. And of course have marriage proposals lined up from Mumbai to Kolkata (I have no idea of the distance between the two cities, for all I know they could be like 2 metres apart, but they are the only names of Indian cities that I know. Yeah, geography was never my strong point.) But I doubt he is strong enough to be in the running.

So who would I like to see in the finals? Kris, Matt & Adam. Only 2? Ok, it'll have to be Kris & Matt although I doubt either will be there.

Saw V

2009-03-10T10:28:00.002+08:00

Ok, I just realised that the last Saw I watched was Saw 3 back in 2007. Wow, time really flies. Cuz it felt like yesterday that I just saw it but then again it would explain the fuzzy memory regarding it as I struggle to recall the plotline as I'm watching Saw 5, which I had thought was Saw 4. No wonder it makes no sense and I don't know who the two idiots, I mean detectives, playing the cat and mouse game were. Or why any of the backstory doesn't make any sense because the last thing I recalled was whatever transpired on Saw 3.

How did I manage to skip Saw 4? Was it not released to critical acclaim? Hehe. Well, now I'm torn between going to imdb and reading the synopsis there first for immediate gratification or to hold off and get a copy of the film to watch. Arrgh...decisions, decisions. I choose, door number 1. Phew, luckily Jigsaw's not waiting behind the door to hack me to pieces. But then again he's dead. And he has been dead 2 films ago, so why are they still churning out Saw after Saw? Will there be a Saw 6?

Well, to its credit, Saw 5 was at least wayyyy better than Saw 3. I mean in Saw 3, it was as if no one brought their creativity cells to work. What with the lame contraption and games. At least in Saw 5, there was a bit of forethought into the games played on a group of 5 people. Even the gore was a bit more gorifying. And I have to say, I was a little impressed. Only a little. But enough to give it a 4/5 compared to 0.5/5 for Saw 3.

Georgia Rule

2009-03-09T20:01:00.001+08:00

I've never been a huge fan of Lindsay Lohan, well, maybe only during her Freaky Friday and Mean Girls days, but certainly not since her personal life started making bigger headlines than her films. But it seems having her in this role seemed to have paid off because I'm not sure the character would have been as effective if it had been someone else in the role. And that's saying a lot.

I didn't set out to watch this movie, which i initially thought was a road trip movie. I can't recall why. Maybe from the trailer it looked like there was a lot of dirt road hehe. Maybe because the best way for people to do any bonding is on a road trip. Anyway, I thought this would be one of those chick flicks about mothers and daughters that make you cringe at all the cliches. Well, in a way, it was, but it also has another dimension to it. And I don't know why all of the sudden I'm liking pensive, slow paced shows like these. Usually I'm into those blow 'em up summer blockbusters. But I think watching something like this, something that you don't really know what the actual story is about (well, I had dismissed it as the churn of the mill chick flick fare), is like eating an artichoke, where you peel off one leave at a time as you get to the centre. Ok, maybe that was not even close to a good analogy to use, just cuz I'm craving some artichokes right now.

But this film actually makes me care about the people. It gives me a glimpse into their lives, sort of how I like to peep into the windows of people's houses as I drive by them at night to see the lit up rooms and who lives there and wonder what their lives are like. Ok, that sounded a little psycho. Anyhoo...it was better than the usual standard fare. It's set in a small town and I do get the feel of that from the people inhabiting there. Their simple little lives and view on things. And Jane Fonda, as a supposedly scary grandma, but still babysitting 2 boys and caring for them, it just goes to show that people are not as simple as they seem. And every person there has their own little role and quirky yet never contrived story that makes them who they are. In a way, they are believable because the script writers don't go out of the way to make them over the top caricatures.

And you feel like you've lived in a little town like that before once upon a time and now if you were to go back there again you've become a big city gal. Yet, it just feels like coming home, as familiar as an old pair of shoes. And long when the show is over, I'm still wondering about the people and what they are doing now and how they have progressed and moved on. Can't someone make a reality show to cater for that yearning?

Idols 8 and AF 7

2009-03-08T18:04:00.005+08:00

Ok, one year on and we're on Idols season 8. Hmm...who won season 7 then? Ohhhh....David Cook, right? The poser "rocker". Well, ok, admittedly he's not THAT bad. In fact, he even had a few original moments.

So the people at Idols think that this year, they need to spice things up a little. And by spicing things up, they mean make it even more yawn inducing. Their idea of better means volume. So instead of 3 judges, now we have 4. And instead of the last 24, now it's 36. And instead of a top 12 we now have a top 13. Great, one more dull contestant to sit thru.

By adding another judge they've just totally erased the relevance of Paula. I mean, previously we have Simon - the mean one, Paula - the good one and Randy - the in between one. There was a sort of ying yang balance to things. With the arrival of Kara, she just sums up everything and say all there is to say. So whatever Paula has to say after that...is just redundant. I mean Kara talks and talks and talks, not that she doesn't make any sense (unless it comes to hot girls in bikinis hehe) but she's like the female version of Simon. Do we really need 2 mean judges on a show? Heck, come to think of it Kara can replace both Paula AND Simon. So I fail to see the relevance or contribution she has on the show. And I'm not even sure she is likeable.

Don't even get me started on the contestants they put thru this year. I think after 7 season of choosing the best looking people with the best voices, that has just become too boring for them. So this year, they are letting all the freaks get in. I mean, c'mon, the blind guy?! Ok, he can sing but he's not THAT good. I mean it is sort of creepy how there are no emotions in his eyes when he tries to ermm...emote. Can you really see him as winning season 8? And what about that nerdy looking guy with the shorts. Ok, I wasn't really paying attention this year. How did HE made it that far? And Nathaniel? He would have been kicked out the door before he finished his audition if he had been in any of the earlier seasons. So, they just want freaks that people would wanna tune in to watch as the underdog? Why not let bikini girl into the top 13 then? At least that would have captured a sizeable viewing audience in itself. Ughh....like i give a shit who wins this year.

And what is with everyone trying to do a David Cook with the song arrangements? They were so awfully bad. What's wrong with singing a song the way it was sung by the original singers? Why must they try to make it their own? If you're a really good singer, you don't have to resort to any such gimmicks. And the judges just don't like people that they can't classify. They always go, "I don't know who you are. Are you rock? Are you R&B?". People can't be versatile? Why must they fit into a certain stereotype? So what if they decide to explore a different side? When people do a too cheerful song, they say it's too safe. When people do a serious song, they say it's so gloomy and they just wish the person would lighten up. There's just no pleasing them!

And on to Akademi Fantasia. It's not the contestants that are over the top and attention seeking. It's the so called "mentors". Was Ida Nerina flicking her hair in the promo? The point being? And presumably she will impart her invaluable "acting skills" to the contestants? Great, we'll have a bunch of overacting drama kings and queens in the making.

And shouldn't they impose an age limit on the contestants? There was like a 40 year old guy and even some woman who was already a grandma (at first I thought it was bring your mom to work day)! I thought the purpose of having a show like that is to try to discover and develop raw talents to become profitable idols. Not develop someone who will retire or has already retired and has a foot in the coffin. He/she might need an oxygen tank while holding a concert for fear of collapsing and dying there on the spot. So what if the uncle next door can sing like a canary? His time has come and gone. If Astro is so keen on developing these senior citizens, they can have another show called Akademi Warga Emas. Not lump everyone in together on one show. That's just taking the rojak concept too far.

Idols

2008-01-17T14:04:00.000+08:00

2 things always reminds me when it's January again (and Chinese New Year) - American Idols and the Australian Open. So watching these 2 programs on TV always gives me a sense of renewal, beginings and a ringding of Chinese New Year tunes. Idols is in its 7th season now, can you believe it? Has it been that many years of our lives wasted? Well, I only started watching from Idols 3 which is when they started showing it on the screens here.

Let's see if I can name all the 6 previous Idols, Kelly Clarkson, the original Idol, Reuben Studdard, Fantasia Barino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks and Jordin Sparks. Did I get the order right? And their respective runner ups who have now but become a distant memory hehe. Justin Guarini, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo, Bo Bice, Katherine McPhee and Blake Lewis. Wow, can't believe I named all those people without having to look them up on the net first, well, except Blake, for the life of me I can't recall his name even though he was only last season. Maybe he was just better known as Mr. Beatboxing.

Most of these so called Idols winners didn't really go on to a huge success. In fact, some are even upstaged by their runner ups or in the case of Taylor Hicks was upstaged by both Katherine McPhee and Chris Daughtry. In fact, I think Taylor must have been the worst person to be picked as the winner. And Chris the best voice and album to have come out from there, even though most would pick Carrie but I think she is just too overrated. Kelly's success took time to build up steam before reaching the pinacle. Reuben and Fantasia aren't even heard from anymore, although I was kinda anticipating Fantasia's album before, but now I really can't be bothered. So I guess winning it doesn't really guarantee you'll be an overnight sensation eh.

Oh, don't even get me started on Jennifer Hudson, that ungrateful bitch. She thinks she's so huge now that she's won an Oscar, and didn't even wanna give any credit to Idols. If it wasn't because of Idols giving her the exposure she needed, she wouldn't have been cast in that Beyonce flick (yeah, I forgot what it's called cuz I didn't bother to watch it nor am I even remotely interested to).

Anyway, the first Idols auditions was shown in a 2 hour premiere last night. It was the city of Philly and as usual there were the bunch of weirdos and the talented singers. None more creepy than that guy who said he wrote a song for Paula, the stalking song and the way he sang it as he got closer and closer to her. I'm surprised Paula wasn't as creeped out as Simon.

Then there was the guy wearing the Princess Leia outfit and was asked to get a waxing job. Was it worth it, man? They didn't even let you finish the first verse of your song. And then there was the girl with Princess Leia's hair. She's a hit this year, innit? Princess Leia, I mean.

There were a few promising ones as well, one which I did notice was this good looking guy in dreadlock. Even Simon said he was good and he'll be a hit with the chicks and the said that's what I'm here for. His post interview showed him saying that he has a good feeling about this and he is sure that he will go far with this. You, know, I kinda liked him from the first impression, but I just know he's gonna be one of those people that's gonna bomb at the Hollywood auditions. He's gonna be the one who you can't rely on in a group, the one who forgot his lyrics or overall just the one you thought had so much potentials at the original auditions but then again became so terrible just when it matters. Oh well. Let's just wait and see. I just hope that this season is not as dull and forgettable as the last. C'mon guys, give us a lively bunch!

The Curse of the Trilogies

2008-01-14T09:53:00.000+08:00

I think I finally figured out why we were unable to sit through the third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean. And it wasn't neccesarily us, but the curse of the trilogies at work. I think, if anything, 2007 will defintely be known as the year of the trilogies. There was Pirates 3, Shrek 3, Spiderman 3, all films that were tremendously enjoyable the first time we saw it and wished there was more, so the sequel came along. But by the time the trilogy rolled around, I think we're just so freaking tired of the same thing already.

Drama mama

2008-01-07T10:06:00.000+08:00

Another day, another Britney meltdown. She just wants to hog all the headlines. Especially after being upstaged by her lil sis Jamie Lynn last week with her pregnancy announcement, I'm sure Brit must be scratching her (bald) head to think how she can focus the world's attention back on her. Like all has-beens, Brit knows that any news is good news. So all she has to do is act as crazy as possible. She's not really ill, she's not spiralling out of control, she's not really stressed out because of her custody battle, heck I won't be surprised if she engineered the whole thing with the help of Kfed (she'd have to pay him, of course), she's just a bored woman who just wants attention. And the world goes and say oh poor Britney this, poor Britney that. I have no sympathy for the bitch at all. It's a new job she's decided to take on because she's too lazy to get her ass back into shape and perform like a real pop tart should. Urgh, please lah, Britney, get over yourself, no one's really interested in your soap opera of a life anymore, or maybe they are, and maybe she'll finally get her own reality show (again) because we all know that's what she's really after all along. Yawn, so what's next, eh?

2008?!

2008-01-04T14:31:00.000+08:00

Wow, another new year is upon us and look where we are. Still stuck watching the same old shows with no new hopes on the horizon. Since the networks have so cleverly cancelled all the promising shows, that left us (or more ostensibly, me) with yet another new year of nothing to look forward to but AMERICAN IDOL 2008. Yayyy!! Gosh, can I curb that enthusiasm or not.

Come January, there will be new auditions, new people to humiliate, new William Hung wannabes and new tight t-shirts for Simon? Can't wait for Jan 16 when my Wednesdays and Thursdays nights are filled with thrills and spills again.

Well, the year started on a low note for me as I got into my car (and with a dark foreboreding, might I add) to start my engine and find that it would not, no matter how hard I wished it wasn't the case, start. Great, first day back to work (on a Friday, no less) and that happens. I hope the year does not continue on that kind of note, else I might as well just call it in now.

So I guess it helps to have SOME things to look forward to throughout the year, aside from Idols. Movies that I would like to be able to get to at least try to if not manage to watch are: (in no particular order whatsoever)

1. Atonement - I know the movie is actually already out in 2007 but I haven't seen it yet nor has my pirated source downloaded it yet, so that makes it still something to be seen. I have been wanting to see it since I first heard of the storyline and especially so when James McAvoy was in it. I'm sure his portrayal will make the storyline all the more effective and heartwrenching but why do they have to go and put Kiera Knightly in it? And to have her go around boasting that James was the best onscreen kiss she ever had - c'mon Kiera, we already know that he is, use something else to get attention!

2. Stardust - Doobert saw this and cleverly recommended it to me. When I asked who was starring in it (as I had assumed it was the Claire Danes movie, of which I am also dying to watch), he said it was that blond girl, and I said which blond girl lah, he said, the famous one that's in that movie, I said, which movie lah, he said oh oh, the one that was in the Justin Timberlake video, and I was like oh oh Scarlett Johansson issit? And he was like, oh is that her name, I donno lah, ya, her lah. As it turned out, when I was doing some surfing online, I came across the movie and it WAS the Claire Danes one. Ishhhhh...

3. Sweeney Todd - Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp singing. Johnny Depp singing and slicing people. Need I say more?

4. Enchanted - Ok, so it's another 2007 one, maybe I should change the list to what I'd like to watch regardless of when it came out, hehe. Anyway, for a high profiled movie, I really don't know anything about it nor who's in it, except James Marsden and now I can't recall what the chick's name is. But I heard it's a romantic movie and I'm sold alone on the feel good factor it'll bring. And finally Marsden gets the girl (I hope)?

5. The Other Boleyn Girl - Well, maybe I really anticpated this when I first heard about it, but I think the initial anticipation has died down tremendously somewhat. It could be that I've already read the entire script of the movie, or it could be that I've already watched countless accounts of the Tudors' lives, or it could also be that I know the history of the Boleyns and King Henry (and his other 5 wives) even better than I know about what has been going on in my own office! (Incidentally, I just found out a lot of drama has been going on in the office that rivals those of Hong Kong's TVB serials - a recently employed colleague's wife has been harassing him and staff of the office because of her insane jealousy! Just had to get that out of my system). Well that aside, I think the only thing to watch here is probably how other people play the same characters differently. As this is a Hollywood version, I think a lot of speculative elements would be added in for dramatization's sake. I've always like Eric Bana so it should be interesting to see how his Henry pans out. And Natalie Portman as the bitch for a change. Scarlett Johansson is always a favorite, but I haven't managed to catch a lot of her movies, one which immediately comes to mind would be The Nanny Diaries. And I'm not even gonna mention the fact that they have non Brits in, essentially, what is British history. Nope, not gonna mention it.

I've been annoyed at some movies, or, more accurately, at the overrated attention these supposedly lowkey movies are getting especially from the critics, in order to propel them to the top. The overrated movies of 2007/2008:

1. Juno - with everyone touting 'up and coming star' Ellen Page to be the next breakout kid. Maybe Jamie Lynn should watch and learn from this movie (hehe), which is about a 16 year old girl getting pregnant (and by Michael Cera? Why am I so surprised that I'm not?). And what is up with this Michael Cera with his John Heder impersonation? So he was the same awkward geeky kid in Arrested Development, also the same one in Superbad, also the same one here. It's just bloody annoying, not funny. And especially in a sketch shown by E! where an interviewer appears to keep grabbing his knee (god knows why) and he keeps brushing it off like it's a geeky reflex. Just made me go, what on earth...?! Is that what humour has become nowadays? No wonder people find The Office funny. (Which by the way, is another annoying show).

2. Knocked up - with Katherine Heigl and, I'm going to feign ignorance and say, that tubby unknown Jack Black wannabe with the curly hair. What is so funny about getting knocked up on a one night stand with an ugly guy? And I don't think Heigl is THAT funny or anything (as what the critics say). And for that matter I am liking her less ever since knowing she and T.R. Knight are buddies and that his little sissy self needs Ms. Heroic to fight his battles for him.

3. Any 9/11 movies - oooh so we're allowed to talk about 9/11 and make movies about terrorists now is it? Sufficient time has passed when this is no longer a taboo subject in film making? So all those pent up stories are all rushing to be the first to be told. I think sufficient time has passed enough for this to be a boring subject as well.

Pirates of the Carribean 3: At World's End

2007-12-15T15:44:00.000+08:00

We have been anticipating this movie since the 2nd movie came out, heck since the first one! So we were severely disappointed when we were unable to catch it when it was fresh out of the oven at the cinema like we always do (what with 2 kids and all now). So it was with great revelry that we pushed the play button on our DVD player after the kids were asleep to watch the world's most beloved pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow - and was completely unable to fathom the first half of the movie.

I thought it was me, but when I asked Doobert, he said he was worst off than I was. At least I knew they were going to look for Chow Yuen Fatt to borrow a ship from him, Doobert was nowhere near there. That coupled with so much talking and a dizzying hallucinatory scene of Jack and the walking rock, just sent us scratching our heads and wondering what was wrong with us? Was this not the movie we were waiting for? Was this not the very anticipated last installment to the hugely successful franchise? How did we fail to react with more enthusiasm? How did we fail to comprehend the plot? Most of all, how could we just press the stop button after 20 minutes on our beloved captain? Those are questions still plaguing me today as I search for answers that exist perhaps in another realm. Well, I'm just glad I wasn't the only one who couldn't get through the movie.

I'm sure we'll give it another try again for Captain Sparrow's sake, but god knows when we will be ready for that day to come. Someone please tell me it was worth giving up 2 hours for.

Saw 3

2007-12-10T15:06:00.000+08:00

Finally saw Saw 3. Oooo that's getting old. Well, it was disappointing. I've heard many good reviews about the Saw series, particularly how with every installment it is better than the previous ones. But Saw 3 totally fell short, way short. I enjoyed the first 2 installments, particularly the original one, of course, and I thought Saw 2 did manage to almost top the first one with its twist of an ending that I did not see coming.

But with Saw 3, I saw it coming a good kilometer and half away and it wasn't even a good one at that! What with it hitting you with not only one twist, but a twist upon the twist of a twist. Yeah, it's that twisted. It just feels too desperate and makes no sense and also gives no real meaning to the entire franchise, just an excuse for more gore fest. Heck, even the gore was not as gory as the first two, in fact, it was so tame, I thought I was watching a kiddies flick.

I heard there is a Saw 4 and again it got very good reviews and many have commented that it is the best amongst all as it ties the entire series up very well. I'm still gonna watch it, of course, just to see what it's about and at least I can say that I've seen all four Saws, just for the heck of it.

Saw 3: 0.5 stars out of 5

Smith

2007-12-03T21:02:00.000+08:00

Was channel surfing as usual (cuz even with all the new channels that Astro has provided, there's still nothing decent to watch?) and since I had been having cravings for movies lately, saw Smith on Cinemax. The info for Smith stated Smith part 1. And I was thinking, Cinemax is a movie channel, what are they doing showing a series? Saw further in the info that it was the pilot for a new series, so I was thinking maybe that's why it's 2 hours long. But as it so happened afterwards, episode 2 & 3 was also 2 hours long, meaning that they showed 2 episodes each time. And that episode 4 was advertised to be the last chapter. What the?... Oh well, as usual, a perfectly phenomenal series gets axed without a care for its viewers.

I can't understand how a series starring the high stake names of such players as Ray Liotta, Johnny Lee Miller, Simon Baker, Amy Smart and Virginia Madsen can be cancelled, and ridiculous shows like Yes Dear, Everybody Loves Raymond (although I heard it has finally finished its run, yayy), The Office (sooo unfunny the way they try so hard), even Two and a Half Men are still on. What kind of logic do these networks run on?! Gosh I am so pissed. Yes, pissed that another great series that made me actually look forward to watching TV again has been cancelled.

I just don't get it. I mean the storyline is tight right from the beginning and it has so much potential, especially with such top notch actors in it. I mean even if the storyline was crap, I'd tune in just to gawk at these people paint a wall. They are all excellent and have great chemistry together. The storyline for each episode is fast paced and the concept fresh. They are no doubt a bunch of thieves and what they do (which is stealing from other people) is wrong but you find yourself rooting for them or sometimes wondering when are they gonna get caught, especially with the FBI hot on their tails. Because you just know, once they get caught, there'll just be more delicious ways for them to break free. But...bygones...

Mr. Brooks

2007-12-02T18:01:00.000+08:00

Finally I managed to catch a movie the same year it was released! No, not at the cinema, but at the comfort of my own home - in other words, on pirated DVD. I was interested in this movie when I first read about it in the papers. What draws me to it is Kevin Costner as a serial killer. Usually in a serial killer flick, the killer is not revealed until the very end, but since Costner is already revealed to be the killer, it is of course interesting to see what the premise of the film was about. And I was not disappointed. Easily one of the best movies of 2007, granted I haven't been watching that much movies at all. From the quiet start, it seemed like we were getting a glimpse into the life of an ordinary man. It is anything BUT ordinary as hidden beneath the surface are layers of complexities waiting to be peeled off. I also found the soft tinkling of the soundtrack to be very reflective of everyday life. I mean it could be the soundtrack of my dreary life.

Many have criticised Demi Moore's portrayal of the cop that was on Costner's tail, calling it unrealistic, but I find her tough as nails cop really inspiring. I especially liked the ending (ooo here I go again with more ending spoilers) when Costner calls her up to ask her why she does what she does (i.e. a relentless cop and extremely good at it) when she comes from a priviledged background. It is a question that I myself wondered and I'm sure is the intent of the film makers to make the audience wonder as well and to have Costner actually having the chance to ask her and Demi offering her sincere explanation, it was as if for a brief moment there they had a connection (one of a human with another that is his equal match and yet cannot be his ally because they stood for different things) that I wished had been elaborated on more. I mean, they could have had more interaction with each other throughout the whole movie when she was hunting him, but she never even got close to his identity, which I guess is also what makes the ending so much more effective. You could tell Costner was intrigued by her and especially so, when he learns that someone (like her) has been hunting him, studying him all these years.

I know I've put Kevin Costner under my undesirable list in a previous post, but now looking back at some of the previous posts, I have changed my mind about some things I've said as well. I mean for instance Narnia which i gave a good review but after HBO started showing it, I find myself unable to watch the whole thing again. I mean it has just become draggy to watch. I wonder why? And I haven't been able to sit through an entire showing of it since the cinema. And on quizzes I have only rated it 2 stars out of 5. Cuz I think it just got too disneyfied. Or maybe I'm just getting bored of it. Since I never did like children or animal movies.

The Devil Wears Prada

2007-11-28T08:27:00.000+08:00

I have wanted to watch this movie since it first came out, but as usual circumstances prevents that from happening so I find myself watching it on Starworld late last night. Even catching it on cable seemed to be an impossible feat as it has been on and repeated numerous times before I finally had time for it. Well, I was actually going to sleep but was so engrossed in the movie I thought, ehh, who needs sleep. As soon as the movie was over, I felt like I wanted to watch it again immediately. I guess it's because I can identify with Andy (Anne Hathaway). I mean anyone who's ever had a job can identify with Andy. In everyone's working life, one time or another they've had a boss like Miranda. Some lucky ones only go through it once while those really unlucky ones encounter a Miranda over and over again in each job they hop to.

And I never knew Anne Hathaway was that chunky. Maybe it was just the contrast of her standing side by side with all those really skinny models? Or maybe it was a camera trick that was required in the movie to make her appear bigger than she actually is? I've always thought she was another perfectly shaped skinnies as well, but seeing her in this movie made me feel there's hope for the rest of us (well, maybe not so much me).

Oh and working for a magazine, isn't that a dream job. And they ARE right, Andy did get the job millions of girls would kill for, I know I would. I mean, ok, so your boss is a bitch, and you're no different than a doormat, but look at how much she's learnt, how much she gets to do, who she gets to meet, where she gets to go and not to mention all the perks of the freebies. I like the hectic pace of trying to keep up and stay afloat til the next crisis comes along. There's a rush of adrenaline being able to get a copy of the unreleased manuscript of the new Harry Potter, a job thought to be impossible. So in many instances, it makes you feel like you really CAN do ANYTHING!

And so that makes the ending a little bit implausible, well at least for me, that Andy should just walk away from everything that she's worked so hard for and after coming so far. I know the ending was meant to be a message that you should never sacrifice your integrity for success, but she really isn't sacrificing much that she hasn't already done. And from there onwards, it can only get easier. So if I was her (and throughout the course of the movie, I really did feel I was her), I would not have walked away.

Then there's the boyfriend, Nate (played by Adrian Grenier, weird to see him in any roles other than Chase on Entourage) and the suave good looking hotshot, Christian (played by the devilishly delectable Simon Baker) thrown in for eye candy and the morality struggle. Christian and Andy keep having these flirtatious run ins (one wonders why he has any interests in her at all). Andy of course once upon a time aspires to be a serious writer, which is what Christian is, before becoming Miranda's lapdog. I wished they had given Simon Baker more screen time and developed the relationship further as his Christian could prove to be a charismatic mentor to Andy. But alas, it is not to be, as after a Paris rendevous one night, Andy dumps him the next morning after he informs her that Miranda is being ousted in a coup. I mean, why does Andy automatically label Christian a jerk? It's not like he was the one engineering Miranda's downfall, he was merely informing her of what he knew. So Andy dumps a gorgeous successful guy who understands her job demands? Astounding.

And when Andy complains one too many times about her job to Nate, instead of being understanding and continue to be the supportive boyfriend, he asks her to quit her job and just stop doing what she doesn't like. He, by the way, is an overworked cook at a crappy diner (if that makes a difference on job likeability factors). But like most guys, what he doesn't understand is when we complain about our jobs it doesn't mean we want you to offer us a solution, more like just be a good listener and and tell us that's life. And sometimes it's not as simple as to tell someone you don't want to do that because it IS afterall our job. So I find myself totally emphatizing with Andy on that.

So when Andy had to work late one night and missed his birthday, that was the begining of the end. It's not like she unconscientiously meant to miss it, she did try to get out of work at every opportunity, declining a date with Simon (gasp!) asked the driver to drive faster and even showed up with a birthday cupcake, it shows how much more important he is to her. It seems that everyone around Andy has started being judgemental towards her since she became good at her job. Even her childhood friend goes all ballistic when she sees Andy cosying up to Simon at her art show. I mean, it's not like they were even doing anything but just talking! Talk about over reaction.

But all in all, this is a relatable movie which ups its enjoyment factor. I find myself having deja vu moments with many of the scenes. Oh, almost forgot to mention Meryl Streep's flawless portrayal of the dragon lady, Miranda. Her quiet voice when she speaks with you as if you're an insignificant piece of roddent turd, signifies the boss from hell that sent shivers down all our backboneless spines. She not only sounds the part, but looks every bit the fashion editor, from her platinum styled hair, to her manner, power suits and handbags.

The Lakehouse

2007-10-08T10:35:00.000+08:00

Saw The Lakehouse last night on HBO. Wasn’t expecting them to show it so soon after its release last year. So I guess it must be pretty crappy for it to be shown by HBO so soon eh? I’ve been wanting to watch this movie since it came out as good ol Keanu and Sandy’s in it. Reportedly the much awaited pairing since their Speed days.

Keanu’s put on some weight and looks a bit pudgy, Sandy still looks as adorable as ever. The movie is quite predictable I guess, since I was able to foresee the so called twist which was supposed to be a surprise later in the film that would presumable hit home for the audience. I mean, when Sandy tried to save the guy that got ran over by the car, I knew it was Keanu already (even though she didn’t realize it then), that was how predictable it was. So I guess the only thing that kept me watching was the 2 beautiful people in it. And the soundtrack was quite good. The songs chosen had a haunting quality in them. Slow tracks that seemed to seep in from nowhere in the past yet sounds familiarly new. It adds to the relaxed pace of the film, giving it a very nostalgic feel.

And the lakehouse itself is gorgeous. Kinda wished they had focused more on it as it IS the title of the movie. However, I don’t really get to see how one lives in the lakehouse. I mean, I see it mostly empty all the time, even when Keanu lives there, he’s mostly outside focusing on the letterbox instead of being inside the house, lounging as one does when one inhabits a place.

Character development is also quite weak, but then again, many of us feel like we know Keanu and Sandy well enough already anyway. Happy ending and cliché moments aside, I guess the movie is watchable for its beautiful sceneries, beautiful people and beautiful soundtrack. The most touching moment was when Keanu’s dad (played by Christopher Plummer) died and Sandy sent Keanu his dad’s book (through the letterbox, which is a sort of mini time travel machine, I presume) which was only published 2 years later so that he didn’t have to wait so long to see it, and Keanu broke down while flipping through it. Yeah, a romantic flick and THAT was the touching moment.

Diesel naik 30sen

2006-03-02T11:00:00.000+08:00

Was waiting for Oliver’s Twist to come on last night but instead saw Datuk Tun Najib (is that his name?) being interviewed supposedly about the price increase of diesel in Malaysia by these two, urm, let’s for argument’s sake call them journalists. I said supposedly because, as usual with these Malaysian ‘journalist’ they tend to deviate from the topic at hand and ask other unrelated questions like kalau orang nak kerja, bas lewat sampai ke tempat kerja, macam mana? So diesel price increase and causes people to be late for work. Compelling piece of journalism, to be able to relate a topic THAT far. I tell you, these Malaysian journalists never fail to amaze.

And since there were 2 of them they took turns asking their questions. One at least dressed and combed his hair like an ivy leaguer but the other guy looks like a janitor that was asked to fill in on the job at the last minute and threw on a suit that was too big for him and wore someone else’s wig. So, Mr. Ivy League would be asking about one topic and Datuk answered, and instead of asking a follow up question, Mr. Janitor jumps in and asks about a totally different topic and then Mr. Ivy League jumps back in again and GOES BACK to his original thread supposedly because he hasn’t finished his interrogation. It’s like these 2 were on a competition to see who can ask the most amount of questions. No, scrape that, a competition to see who can ask the most amount of STUPID questions. And Mr. Janitor really took his time to ask his questions, trying to seem like he came up with the questions on the spot by going ahh, urmm, errrr, instead of reading out what questions were written on his paper like obedient Mr. Ivy League. It took him longer to articulate the questions than it took for Datuk to come up with the answers. I thought it should be the other way round?

And towards the end, Mr. Ivy League said, ok sebagai soalan terakhir, adakah Datuk mempunyai nasihat kepada rakyat? A normal closing would be to give the interviewee a chance to summarise and say his final words. So after Datuk gave his closing, Mr. Janitor jumps in and asks ANOTHER question! I guess he didn’t want to be beaten by Mr. Ivy League for the last word. And Mr. Ivy League, not to be outdone, asked another question after that for good measure before saying again sebagai soalan terakhir blah blah…how many soalan terakhir are there?! Tsk, I’m amazed at Datuk Najib’s patience. I would have whacked those two idiots silly and told them they would never work in my town again.

And for that, they pre-empted my programme because they were delayed on a previous show that was already in progress.

Rumour has it

2006-03-01T15:23:00.000+08:00

I watched Rumour Has It yesterday on a cinema version DVD. I don’t know whether it was the quality of the DVD or the actual plot, but I find the whole film to be quite dull. Jennifer Aniston was just playing a neurotic version of her Friends character, Rachel. In Friends, Rachel is likeable and even endearing but in Rumour, she is just annoying. And Rachel is my favorite Friend.

The whole plot….oh what am I talking about, there wasn’t even a plot. It ended before anything even started, which now that I think of it, isn’t necessarily a bad thing, considering how much more annoying it was gonna get had it dragged on.

Kevin Costner didn’t get much on screen time to show off his charms which should be the basis of his appeal that managed to land him 3 generations of women from the same family. All the characters are so one dimensional, you don’t get enough background information on them to care about them and you only get to know them for a while to wanna care about them more. And I guess not having watched nor read “The Graduate” left me with no background info to really get excited about this rumour as this film probably assumes that everyone is well aquainted with the book (or the movie).

However, I did enjoy Shirley MacLaine as the don’t call-me-grandma grandma. And as usual Mark Ruffalo hits the mark as the cheated on fiancée. Speaking of which, I can’t believe he took her back after what happened. If it had happened the other way round, i.e. if the man had cheated on the woman, she would be a fool to take him back but it is so normal for the man to just take the woman back. This makes the whole film a huge walking cliché. Aniston the cliché neurotic daughter, Suvari the cliché airhead sister, Costner the cliché charming older guy, even MacLaine the cliché grumpy grandma and Ruffalo the cliché cheated-on-but-I-forgive-you-anyway fiancée.

Honestly, I just didn’t expect the whole film to be that bad. It has no substance whatsoever, and after it ended I went, that’s it? What was the point of it all?

Vanity Fair

2006-02-27T13:45:00.000+08:00

Saw Vanity Fair over the weekend on HBO. I had actually been wanting to catch the show since it first came out but it somehow managed to go under the radar during its release and now before I know it, HBO has started showing it.

So, the reasons for wanting to watch it are quite obvious and none of it is because of Reese Witherspoon. Although it’s based on a classic piece of literature, I’ve never actually read the book (nor seen the countless film versions before this) so I’m totally unaware of the storyline. I kinda like it day way because I go into it not knowing what to expect and then get away with not reading the entire book (if the story's not worth the read).

As usual, I’m constantly annoyed at Americans being cast in British films and having to do a convincing British accent. Why can’t they have gotten a British actress / actor in the first place? Reese does a decent British accent and at times reminds me of a young Helena Bonham Carter with her girlish voice and sharp chin. That distracting sharp chin.

I found Reese’s portrayal of Rebecca Sharp likeable, maybe because I haven’t read the book nor seen any other portrayal to compare her performance to. Now every time I see Reese, I am reminded of Becky Sharp (which is a hell lot better than Elle Woods). In a way, she makes me sympathize with her because of her underlying redeeming qualities. She is not all evil but she is aware of what is good, and still cares for the plight of her best friend Amelia. She could have easily overstepped the lines and left her socially inept husband to achieve her ultimate ambition of being on top of the food chain. But she did not. The story is quite a long one and spans many years (which I did not expect). However, the characters did not seem to have aged as the years went by (presumably more than 10 yrs went by).

And I totally mistook James Purefoy for Thomas Jane. When I first saw him in Rome as Marc Anthony, I also thought he looks uncannily like Thomas Jane. I don’t even know how to tell them apart. At all.

Idolidiots

2006-02-16T08:59:00.000+08:00

Saw the group auditions last night on Idols. And I couldn’t believe they did a whole montage on the cowboys! That got me spewing profanities and jumping on my sofa. Is that even necessary? (I meant the cowboy montage, not my sofa abuse.) So of course there were no sweeter words from Simon than when he said, just for that, you’re all going home. Woohooo….thank god there’s Simon to see through the smaltzy cowboy sentimentality. And that kid cowboy who couldn’t even talk properly! What the hell?! He sees the beach he cries, he see the sunset he cries, he made it he cries, he’s going home he cries. I’m sick to death of that I’m-just-a-singin-cawboy-sob-sob-sob act. Go back to your farm, boy, some cows need a milkin. Even seeing his stupid face pisses me off! @!&*$!@*

V is for vexing

2006-02-15T14:24:00.000+08:00

Was watching Channel V lately (as opposed to MTV) and got acquainted with a few of the VJs, namely, Sarah, Amanda, Paula and Joey G. I’ve seen each of their individual shows and sometimes they team up together for a show. I’ve seen the combo of Paula and Joey and Paula and Sarah so far. And I’ve got to say, the tone of Paula and Joey is much different from Paula and Sarah. I’ve been a fan of Paula and her twin sister Jenny (by that I mean I’ve charted their career growth throughout the years) since before Paula was picked up by Channel V. They are both very dynamic people who, no doubt can hold their own in a conversation or MC gig.

However since Paula’s been on Channel V, I find her whole demeanor to be quite off putting. Take for instance her shows with Joey. She seemed to concede to him more, playing the coy princess to his macho man, not that Joey was playing the part of a macho man because he’s quite a decent chap. She plays along with his banter, supports his opinion, teases him gently with idle chit chat until they start mumbling as if carrying their own private conversation with Paula looking at the screen giving a sly smile amused that Joey chatters on unaware. All this of course, is very conscious effort on Paula’s part whereas poor Joey is only an unwitting participant. (Guys are normally SO clueless)

Whereas with Sarah, Paula is relentless. Sarah gives an opinion and Paula has to have a totally opposite one and disagrees with her vehemently. Not only that, Sarah can elicit no response from Paula. Paula was asking Sarah what was the weirdest gift she’s ever gotten and Sarah was being very nice in telling a story and at the end of it, was hoping to elicit an incredulous response from Paula but instead Paula just sat there starring blankly at Sarah with no expression for what seemed like an eternity. Sarah, still waiting for her response, did not know what to make of it and had to laugh off the awkward moment as Paula recovers AND disagrees with her treatment of the story. She does this throughout the entire programme, asking Sarah questions only to disagree with her response or use it as a platform to tell her own anecdotes (which, I’m sure, was the reason she asked the question in the first place, so that she gets to answer it herself).

[Ok, so Sarah’s story goes a little something like this, if anyone’s interested: Sarah said it wasn’t a weirdest gift but the way the gift was presented to her. When she was staying in L.A., a friend made her this home made gift (I forgot what it was now, but I think it involved a box?), and he traveled all the way from his hometown (again the name escapes me, but it’s somewhere quite far) all the way to L.A. to give it to her and when she opened it, it was just some flowers on a box (or something common that he just put together), so she was wondering why he would travel all that way to give her something like that.)

To which Paula, after starring blankly at Sarah for an eon, snaps out suddenly and says, but it wasn’t really like a weird gift or something to that effect and Sarah again was left to defend herself and her story awkwardly. Ok, so there’s no chemistry there, but it’s like Paula purposely tries to be uncommunicative with her female co-hosts as opposed to her male co-hosts.

Even when she’s alone, hosting her shows (Top 10s, The Ticket), her over-confident delivery comes across as arrogant. She doesn’t have the likeability factor of Sarah or Amanda both of whom delivers in a more modest way. Paula has an air of superiority that seeks to condemn anyone who doesn’t share her views. Even her sarcasm is lost as bitter resentment (with the roll of her eyes for effect) instead of the funny irony she intended them to be.

Her exaggerated expressions and pressing tone to illustrate her point makes her seemed like a lawyer arguing down her case and her opinion. And her opinion alone, is obviously the only one that matters at all. Paula, chill, woman! There’s no need to overdo it. And there’s nothing wrong with hosting a gig with another gorgeous chick. You don’t have to feel threatened. Although you’ve been doing this a lot longer than they have, take a page from their books and tone it down a notch. Remember, less is more. It doesn’t mean you risk losing your individuality; both Sarah and Amanda are unique and distinguishable in their own way. Don’t let yourself be known as the one who tried too hard.

Rice cake?

2006-02-14T09:44:00.000+08:00

Didn't know Damien Rice is ugly. His voice totally doesn't match his bum looks. Now I don't think I will be able to listen to his songs the same way again.

Pimp my crib

2006-02-13T09:39:00.000+08:00

Argh even the internet connection is feeling the Monday blues, because it is as slow as the service in Miri’s McDonalds today! So with nothing to read to keep me entertained because it’s too slow to surf and chat, might as well write something to rant about. Hmm, what should I rant about this time? What’s in season? Oh, how about interior decorating or house renovating (since I just moved and am trying to do up my dump urm I mean CRIB). Every Sunday morning I would lounge around the sofa channel surfing and there seems to be nothing else on, so I always land on the Discovery & Travel channel watching this interior decorating show with flamboyant decorators to the stars such as Martin Lawrence Bullard and Bobby Trendy.

Are all interior designers errr, so in touch with their feminine side, by the way? I love how flamboyant and gay they are! People either love them or hate them, think their designs are classy or condemn it as cheap. But I’m always prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt. I like gay people, they’re so…gay. It’s like an infectious laughter that just goes around tickling everyone. Color the world purple, green and yellow with gayness.

Aside from Martin and Bobby, there are of course hordes of other talented interior decorators featured and I like to see how they come up with concepts and totally transform the look of a room or an entire house. What I’ve always wondered is, when the people move into their new pads, where did they put all their old junks? Because everything matches and everything looks new, there’s no awkward piece of item that doesn’t blend in with the rest of the new décor. So, do these people just up and leave their old pad with all the old stuff in it and move into the new one all fully furnished with new stuff without bringing anything but themselves? Because, when I move, there’s the old stuff blending in with the new stuff and it’s always a challenge to find a place to fit all the old stuff in. Martin, help?

Feng shui

2006-02-10T15:58:00.000+08:00

Ahh Chinese New Year. A time of celebration, ang pau, firecrackers, food, red underwear and onslaught of feng shui / lucky stars advise. None more prominent than the so called Feng Shui master herself, aunty Lilian Too.

She has been waiting all year for CNY to roll around. Sorta like how a kid anticipates X’mas every year for Santa to bring in the presents. Aunty Lilian anticipates CNY for the Chinese Santa (Choi San Yeh) to bring in the cash. Out she comes in full force, sprouting her wisdom about how if a baby enters a new house and it cries, then the house has bad feng shui and you should abandon the multimillion dollar house you spent 4 years renovating. But if you buy a $200 crystal from her, it will magically improve your feng shui – for this year and then next year you’ll have to buy a flying monkey figurine and throw away the crystal if you wanna live to buy another item from her.

And according to aunty Lilian, if a baby laughs when it enters a new house, then it’s a good sign that heaven is smiling upon your house and you should open a Kindergarten / nursery.

She holds seminars in grand halls with thousands in attendance. I used to watch that on TV every CNY listening for some interesting tips. Then I noticed the longer she does this she gets more confidence and sees how enraptures her audience is with her every word, the seminars no longer become informative but are lined with her own brand of anecdotes and logic, in other words, bullshit. The bullshit is so thick, I had to scrape it off with a shovel.

Lately, she’s even roped in her only daughter, no doubt to take over her lucrative business empire next time. So instead of appearing alone, now she has her daughter stand next to her and chime in with some additional advise to show that she knows her stuff as well and you can all safely transfer your trust to her after aunty Lilian herself retires.

I don’t even know if the things she says has any basis anymore. I mean, a lot of the times, it’s just about logic innit? You don’t put a big cactus plant in front of your house because someone might trip on it and prick themselves. Put it in feng shui terms, a prickly plant should not face the northeastern corner of your living quarters as it gives off bad vibes and may cause blood to be spilled. Hey, I’m good at this. Urm, this year there will be roughly about the same amount of earthquakes around the world as there was last year or perhaps slightly more or slightly less. Voila! I'm a feng shui master too.

New Year resolutions

2006-02-09T11:12:00.000+08:00

I realized it’s February and I haven’t listed my new year resolutions yet. But technically it’s 2 weeks into CHINESE NEW YEAR, so the year is still gleaming new. Rite, resolutions, hmm…

1. Watch MORE TV. I realized my TV watching has dropped significantly since I moved. Which doesn’t make a lot of sense, because now I have 2 (yeah, read it and weep, TWO) Astro. But I’ve become more selective in my TV watching. I resolve not to discriminate any TV programmes. I should watch more junks.

2. Eat more fried food. I’ve also realized I no longer frequent KFC every lunch time like I used to. Maybe I should check if their index has fallen on the stock market.

3. Not exercise at all. I realized that I haven’t been doing any exercise since I quit aerobics about a year ago. And aside from not having to feel sweaty all the time (which I hate), I’ve also not gained a substantial amount of weight (substantial here refers to 10kg or more). My weight normally see-saws between 1-2kg, even when I exercise because I think I tend to eat more when I exercise. So why bust your butt when it’s not even necessary.

4. Not save any money. I’ve been trying to save up since I started working. Scrimping and saving every dollar so that I would have a substantial amount to look at in my bank book. But I end up having no money anyway (and I can’t account for where it all went) and no stuff to show for it too. So, I’ve decided to spend and buy whatever I want, I’ll be broke but at least I have some stuff to show for it, rather than being broke AND no merchandise.

Ok, now all I have to do is do the OPPOSITE of all the resolutions and I’ll be fine because you know, resolutions never work. You just end up breaking them. So, being the genius that we all know I am, I’ve devised this failproof plan. So if any resolutions above get broken, it could only be a good thing right? *Cackles dryly at own ingenuity*

Couplehood

2006-02-08T09:00:00.000+08:00

Just found out a few pairings that I wasn’t aware of and can’t say I approve of. Such as Zach Braff and Mandy Moore. Come on Zach, you’re better than that. What on earth are you doing with that fake whiny Miss-I’m-such an incredible-actress-that-I-will-let-my-incredible-singing-career-take-a-back-seat-so-that-I-can-focus-on-being-a-serious-actress-by-portraying-innocent-dying-girls-who-are-priests’-or-presidents’-daughters-that-charms-every-guy-on-the-planet-because-I’m-just-so-irresistible. I can’t even look at a picture of Mandy Moore without thinking she’s so fake. Blonde, brown, blonde, brown, bimbo, demure, bimbo, demure.

Then there’s Estella Warren and J.D. Fortune. At first I was like, who on earth is J.D. Fortune. The name did sound familiar. Well, he’s the new INXS singer. The seat’s not even warm yet and he’s bagged himself Estella. Apparently they’re both Canadians so that makes a lot of sense to them. I give them 6 months before the sheen wears off.

Glenn Close and David Shaw. It wasn’t even about who Glenn married but she’s getting married again? At 58, I just thought she’d go it alone. And I can’t believe there were any takers out there.

Nicolette Sheridan and Michael Bolton. They’re back together again? They did make a pretty pair before, so I guess it does make sense to go back to something you’re good at doing.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Oh yeahhh….they’re together, they’re not, they’re together, they’re not. You know, I really believed them when they denied there was anything going on between them at all when Brad was going through his divorce. I really really bought into the story. I had THAT much faith in BOTH of them. So to suddenly hear that Angelina was pregnant and that both their reps confirmed the baby was Brad’s, that was really a blow because how can she be carrying his baby when they were technically not together. Even after that, I still hadn’t gotten used to the idea that these two were officially together now. Until I saw a picture of them smooching in Paris lately, then only did it hit me, the reality of it (because up until now there were no pics of them being intimate). I think Jennifer Aniston must have felt the same way.

Well, aside from all the pairings, I’ve also recently discovered a few unpairings that I wasn’t aware of. Sheryl Crow and fiancée who called it quits after announcing to the world they were getting married. What went wrong? They went on Oprah to declare their love (see, people should know better than to go on Oprah and blab) and the next thing you know, it’s already kaput?

Heather Locklear and Richie Sambora. Wasn’t even aware that there was anything wrong there. Richie seemed like a fairly decent guy especially towards Heather.

Josie Bisett and Rob Estes. Remember Rob Estes in Silk Stalkings? Now he’s in CSI Miami. Josie Bisett was formerly of Melrose Place. The funny thing was, I thought these two were history ages ago.

Tasty reads

2006-02-07T14:09:00.000+08:00

Hmm…I’m going to be a book maggot today instead of a sofa spud and talk about cookbooks. Well, the cookbooks or rather the authors ARE TV chefs, so in a way it’s kinda related to sofa spuding as well.

I got this latest Jamie Oliver’s Italian cookbook from Bey when she came back for CNY holidays. It was totally unexpected but wonderfully sweet. I have another of Jamie’s book courtesy of Malert for my birthday last year as well. Both now have pride of place on my bookshelf in the living room. Well the thing about cookbooks for me is not essentially about the contents, although I do buy some cookbooks expressly for their recipes, but also the author and their lingo.

Watching Jamie on TV makes me feel relaxed and is a way for me to unwind. His optimism and energy is like an instant spirit booster. Other chefs I like to watch are Nigella Lawson and Kylie Kwong. Nigella makes me feel warm with her comfort cooking and sensual eating. Kylie’s cooking is a visual feast full of colors and flavours that I swear I can smell the aroma wafting through my living room.

Reading Jamie’s books, I can hear his tone of voice talking through the pages and it is as if I’m watching him on TV. It is as much what he cooks as the anecdotes he gives at the start of each recipe, what significance they represent to him or how he came by the recipe, as if reading the history or discovering the origin of that particular recipe. So sometimes I tend to read it as a storybook as I lounge on my sofa (with the TV on, no doubt).

Jamie does a straight forward style, much like how he talks. However, no one talks more literarily than Nigella. The woman can sprout poetry even in a cookbook describing a fruit. I previewed some of her cookbooks on Amazon and found her style of writing (and talking in her TV shows) so totally lush and I’m amazed she’s not a great English literary writer but then again, she was a journalist (food critic) for a long period of time. No one can evoke a feeling, a sense, a memory, a taste, so vividly as Nigella when she describes it with her trademark prose. Coral sunset to describe the color of salmon, "a domestic goddess trailing nutmeggy fumes of baking pie in our languorous wake" to describe women in the kitchen, makes me feel - who writes like that anymore (and especially about food)? And I know this kind of language is not fake and she doesn't sit there at her computer for a good half day to come up with a sentence because I’ve seen her talk on TV and she speaks the exact same idiom effortlessly. She really does talk like that!

So I look forward to owning a copy of Nigella and letting her luxurious words envelope me like a velvet blanket (my attempts at trying to sound Nigella-ish). My request for a birthday present for this year from Malert. Yeah, I’m real easy to shop for.

Final showdown

2006-02-03T10:46:00.000+08:00

Last year's Australian Open Final. A spectacular showdown between Russian Marat Safin and homeboy Lleyton Hewitt. Olivia Newton John had to wedge herself in between just to pry them apart. The Australians went mad cheering for their man. Both players were equally temperamental and emotional on court. Hewitt was chasing down every point with his Speedy Gonzalez legs. Safin emerged the winner and Hewitt the gracious loser. But it was all good. They shook hands, hugged, patted each other and even whispered and giggled ceaselessly when the Chairman was giving his speech.

This year’s Australian Open. What a completely different picture. No one standing in the way of Roger Federer. Yawn. Many might not call Marcos Baghdatis a nobody (especially with his gorgeous girlfriend, Camille at courtside every match), but until the tournament, some can’t even pronounce his name. So it was obvious he was not a problem for Federer. If I was a betting woman, I’d place my entire fortune of $10 and a Kit Kat on Federer. There was no need for Olivia Newton John because Federer was so confident he was going to win it, he was already hugging Baghdatis with joy at the start of the match.

And where were Safin and Hewitt this year? The former withdrew due to injury and Hewitt was ousted before the quarterfinals. Many even believed that his best years are already behind him and he's on his way downhill. Maybe he's just too busy fulfilling his responsibilities as a new dad to care.

The women's match was even more disappointing. After fighting so hard and even beating out my own personal favorite, Sharapova in the semi final, Justine Henin-Hardenne withdrew halfway through the match due to stomach pains in the final against Amelie Mauresmo, handing Mauresmo the easy win. Yep, this year was a total dud. So it wasn't such a bad thing that I missed the finals on Sunday as I was back in Miri for Chinese New Year and Malert they all didn't have the sports channel!

Australian Open

2006-01-24T08:54:00.000+08:00

This year’s Australian Open tennis is abysmal. Not even the quarterfinals yet and all the top male players have either been knocked out, or are playing like crap. It doesn’t help that a lot of the top players including last year’s champion Marat Safin, teen sensation Rafael Nadal and the evergreen Andre Agassi are all not participating due to injury. This seems to be the worst year for the Australian Open, my favorite grand slam. I look forward to this event every year, as coupled with the Chinese New Year wind, it represents the flavour of January and the begining of a new year. However, this year favorites like Coria, last year’s finalist Hewitt, Feliciano Lopez, Gaudio, Ferrer have all fallen too early in the game. With all these people gone, who else is left to watch?

And the best hope of anyone standing in the way of Roger Federer winning the tournament this year seems to be Andy Roddick, until he was knocked out by Baghdatis yesterday. I’m still trying to recover from the shock, but then again, that seems to be Roddick’s trend lately, doing very well only to be eliminated after getting people’s hopes up. What is going on with that kid? Choking at critical moments, being bundled out at the first round of the US Open last year on his home turf.

Compared to last year, which presented the best tennis and re-sparked my interest in watching the game, and produced new teen superstars such as Nadal, Richard Gasquet and Andrew Murray, this year seems lackluster, with veterans gaining their second wind - Santoro, Grosjean and Kiefer.

Well, at least for the women’s side, the Williams sisters are out of the way with Venus exiting in the first round. The rest of the heavyweights are still on course with Sharapova, Davenport, Henin-Hardenne, Clijsters, Mauresmo and the unretired Martina Hingis providing a little excitement on the Women’s end.

With their home talent all bundled out, I wonder who the Australian crowds will be cheering on.

American Idol

2006-01-19T17:03:00.000+08:00

Finally, the Idols are back. Meaner than ever (I meant Simon lah). I managed to catch the audition for Chicago and didn't realised so many people sucked there. The twins act are doing pretty well though this year. I just hope they at least get SOME memorable people this time round rather than the bland bunch bananas last year. As usual, Paula and Randy said this year they had the most talented people. They say that every single year! And every year the contestants gets more and more boring.

Lowe and Behold

2006-01-12T17:09:00.000+08:00

Saw the report that Hillary Swank and Chad Lowe finally divorced after 8 years. So, Chad finally wised up and realized Hillary was actually a man eh.

Heaven's Pond

2006-01-10T10:42:00.002+08:00

Saw this ridiculous movie yesterday called Heaven’s Pond on StarMovies, starring Tara Reid and Kip Pardue. The reason I was stuck watching this movie at so early a time slot (10PM) instead of my regularly scheduled programming, was because my Astro had not been installed due to my recent move from apartment in the city to a house in the suburbs (ala Monica and Chandler).

When I tried to look up this movie on IMDB, it was listed as Devil’s Pond. Hmmm…Well, not that it matters because I doubt anyone would be looking it up anyway. However, the reviews on IMDB were surprisingly quite positive. Maybe those people had really low expectations going into it. Wayyyy low expectations.

The movie essentially consists of 2 actors for the most part, Tara and Kip. These two are on their honeymoon on a little island in the middle of a pond (hence the title, but they just couldn’t decide whether it was a Heaven’s Pond or a Devil’s Pond). It started off with the wedding of these two characters, attended by family and friends including Meredith Baxter as Tara’s mom. I thought that she was going to play a meatier role in the film, but nope. That was it, the beginning 5 minutes along with all the other extras (no offence to the other extras – you guys were great, for the whole of 5 minutes you were in the film). In fact, had I not seen her name in the opening credits, I wouldn’t even have bothered to notice her. I don’t know why someone like Meredith Baxter would do a cameo in a film like this. Was she held against her will? Did she owe the mob a huge favor? Was her son the director? These are questions plaguing my beleaguered mind as I struggle to comprehend her actions. Well, not really, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass.

I’ve never thought of Tara Reid as a remarkable actress. In fact, it’s hard to think of Tara as anything than a plastic surgery loving, perpetually drunk party animal, always caught at the worst possible time doing the worst possible things. I’ve seen a couple of her movies, and she does look good and all, which in turn led me to believe her sole purpose in a movie is just to look good and not much else. Her portrayal of her characters are pretty much one dimensional, with an expressionless face most of the time coupled with ineffective line delivery. Then again, no one did bill her as the next big thing nor was she ever tipped for an Oscar, so I think there’s no need for me to disparage her ‘acting abilities’ further.

I’ve often heard of Kip Pardue, however, but I never can remember his face nor remember what movie he’s been in. He’s either that forgettable or I’m that forgetful. Either way, this movie will hardly propel him into the realm of superstardom anyway. So no loss there.

In fact, neither Tara nor Kip were remarkable, making the film itself another unremarkable movie of the week. But I find myself unable to stop watching it all the same. Maybe like all the other reviewers on IMDB that gave it a positive review, we’re really these pathetic bunch of people living empty lives. Nah, I think we just wanna see Tara getting slapped around.

13 Going on 30 Charming the way to The O.C

2006-01-05T09:54:00.000+08:00

Caught 13 Going on 30 last night on HBO. I’ve seen it on DVD before but I’m always in the mood to watch feel good movies whenever I come across one. I think I missed the first 30 minutes (but it’s ok since I already know how it started anyway).

I just wanted to say that I forgot how watchable that movie was. I’m not a particular fan of Jennifer Gardner (or her TV series Alias – I’m too dense to comprehend the plot), nor is she particularly believable as the character of Jenna, a 13 year old in the body of a 30 year old, but the presence of Mark Ruffalo manages to gel everything together nicely. He even made Jennifer seemed likeable (to me).

The problem with Jennifer’s character, Jenna is that she’s supposed to be a 13 year old but the things she does either makes her seemed too juvenile to be a 13 year old (coloring or labeling her Barbie book?), or makes her seemed like an adult (the way she dresses, walks and sometimes talks). But I guess all those are forgivable as the plot and other casts more than make up for it. A great feel good movie that manages to be poignant and gives us mere mortals with no magic dusts, renewed hope in the journey of life (and wished we had Mark Ruffalo as our best friend growing up).

On another note, Charmed is back on StarWorld for its 8th season. I can't believe a show about witches with so many rehashed episodes lasted so long. And as usual, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) gets a new leading man. This, I believe, is the highlight of every season, as we get to look forward to some male eye candy (for the female viewers), trying to see which new hunk ends up as her latest boy toy on the show. Because we all know Piper already has Leo (has anyone noticed he looks like tennis ace Marat Safin? - I'll have to remember to post a picture) and Paige always gets the ugly looking ones.

Previous Phoebe hunks included the very likeable Julian McMahon (who lasted 3 seasons?) and even Nick Lachey. This time, I’ve very happy to report the coveted role went to ….*cue drums* … Jason Lewis! Yayy *massive applause*. Urm, that’s Samantha’s Absolut Vodka hunk in SATC (Sex And the City), in case someone went "who"? Now there’s just one more delicious reason to tune in every week.

Following Charmed is The O.C, which StarWorld premiered along with the new season of Charmed. This series is of course a huge hit, so I managed to catch the premiere, which I tot was not too bad. Reminds me of One Tree Hill, as I feel both appear to be on the same line. Teenagers in a small town (I only realized O.C stands for Orange County – why is that place so famous anyway?), along with their very youthful looking parents dealing with the complex relationships that develops between one another. I feel such series really takes effort on my part to focus and follow the plot as I tend to lose interest in the characters fast. Or maybe I’m just getting too old for such shows.

The end of an era

2005-12-31T22:54:00.000+08:00

When the world was out partying and counting down to the year 2006, I spent the night at home watching, appropriately, the last episode of the final season of Friends on DVD. (Yeah, it does sound kinda pathetic now that I think of it.)

I had actually put off watching the final DVD all this while maybe because I didn't want to accept the fact that there will be no more episodes of Friends to look forward to after that. But I had to watch it sooner or later because I borrowed those DVDs from a colleague and I've held on to them for about a month already. (Separation anxiety?) So I'm sure she's gonna call the cops on me any time soon.

My verdict: I think it was one of the most appropriate ending for characters on a TV series (they should include this as a category in award shows). Rachel and Ross did end up together (like I hoped). Ok, normally I’m not one for shmaltzy endings, but I mean c’mon, it’s ROSS and RACHEL, how can they not be together?

Then there's Chandler and Monica, who are relocating to suburbia. And Phoebe actually got married (to someone outside the Friends circle, how about that huh - damn, I was rooting for Joey to complete the chain).

I started watching Friends since I was in my teens and who would have believed that 10 years had gone by since we were first introduced to Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler and Joey. They’ve gone through stages in their lives that I’ve gone through myself (and I’m sure so have many others).

They started off living the single life, started new jobs and switched careers. They've gained and lost weight drastically (not Monica but Chandler, believed to be due to his drug addiction). And as the years went by, their relationships developed and they got married (and divorced - Ross especially). And now Monica and Chandler are moving from their city flat to the suburbs to raise a family.

So I suppose it was good they ended it the way it did. But hey, Joey moved on - to his own new show. Talk about over milking the cow eh. I've seen a couple of episodes of it and it's more of a run of the mill sitcom than the phenomenon that Friends was. I think many are watching in the hopes that some of Joey's ex Friends will drop by for a cup of coffee. I hope they won't make us hold our breaths for too long.

Narnia

2005-12-13T11:23:00.000+08:00

Narnia fever is officially upon the world. I’ve waited almost 20 years for it, since the first time I saw the BBC version as a spudling (released in 1988). The impression I had of London then was from the images of that movie and I always see it as a dark, snowy place lit with street lamps. And I have been fascinated by lamp posts ever since. So it was with much excitement that I finally went to see the film last night with Doobert and his lil bro in tow. Well, as expected, the film was spectacular, very true to the original and the literature, which is a very smart move on the studio’s part. I did not find the need to scream my lungs out as xiaxue did after watching her beloved Harry Potter defaced on screen (although personally I think the movie was very good since i don't read the book). I also won’t nitpick the little things because it is still forgivable considering how well the whole movie turned out.

My only complain is just the way it was so overdone (aka Hollywood-fied). Lucy unveiling the wardrobe was done in such a slo mo overstated way, you’d think she was unveiling the cure for cancer or something. It didn’t help that all the promotional trailers contained that scene. Anyone who had never heard of the story would then have figured out that the wardrobe must be the center of the story. When I first saw the BBC version, I had no clue that the wardrobe was going to be significant (because that scene was treated with the same tone as the scenes leading up to it, instead of a light shining down from heaven scene). So it could do with a tad of toning down but then again audiences these days would probably find it boring without the big cinematic grandeur. However, the exaggerating effects did work well for the final fight scene.

The actors were wonderful and fresh. I’m glad they opted for true British kids instead of Hollywood child actors trying to cop a British accent. I mean, I think they’re British right, else they’re very good. Lucy was adequately cute, Susan was delightfully poised, Peter was sufficiently noble and Edward was tolerably sullen. But they do hug an awful lot (not that it’s a bad thing). These actors breathe new life into characters that are well known the world over but when I’m watching the movie now it is as if I’m watching them played for the first time. There was no one that I wished would be better or would have been played by another actor. Everyone was as they should be (the benefit of having unknown casts, people don’t associate you with anything you have done before thus there is no stereotyping). Tilda Swinton was adequately cast as the cold witch. One stare from her is enough to turn your heart cold.

And Aslan, what a magnificent creature, made even more so with his majestic booming voice (which I only discovered was done by Liam Neeson?! And for that matter, just found out that Dawn French was Mrs Beaver and even Rupert Everett was in it as the fox). The graphics were flawless, at times I feel like reaching out and just cuddling Aslan’s soft fur. And in the scene when he was killed by the witch, Doobert’s lil bro had tears in his eyes. Now, that’s poignancy that Liam Neeson can only achieve without actually appearing onscreen.

The scenery and cinematography was absolutely breathtaking especially the snow covered Narnia. It actually made me feel chilly just looking at it. Even during nightfall, it was rightly dark (without artificial light), creating an atmosphere of peace, isolation and menace (sorta like in Antartica).

As it has been for a long time with this story, my favorite part is towards the end, where peace has reigned in Narnia and the children have grown and are hunting together and they stumble back into their world. It always gives me a sense of nostalgia, perhaps thinking that one day we would all somehow stumble back into the past as kids again and enjoy the carefree days of our youth.

So, the question now is, was it worth the wait? Hmm.....I guess so. :)

Unfabulous

2005-12-01T09:53:00.000+08:00

Saw this show on Nickelodeon while channel flipping a few months ago. What attracted me (and Doobert) was the cute lead, Addy Singer (played by Emma Roberts). Only recently did I find out that she is Julia Roberts’ niece, aka daughter to Mr. Hunk himself, Eric Roberts. Can you spot the resemblance?

Now that got me concluding, did she get the gig cuz she’s Eric Roberts' daughter? But she IS talented, fun to watch, likeable (unlike Jamie-Lynn Spears?), down to earth, pretty and most of all, unpretentious. I don’t watch it religiously but only if I happen to see it on and the star that brightens up the screen is undoubtedly Emma Roberts. I guess acting runs in the family.

A Truly great finale

2005-11-30T09:45:00.000+08:00

Last night’s first season finale of Tru Calling was so good, it actually inspired me to write an in depth analysis of Jack (played by Jason Priestly). It was one of the most subtle yet effective season finales ever. And I have to say that Jason Priestly is absolutely phenomenal as Jack. I have never felt a better performance from him from any of his other roles. It’s as if Jack was who he was born to play, it suited him to a tee. And after a finale and performance like that, I just cannot fathom how the network can pull the plug on the show. The best role ever to come along for Priestly and it was yanked away prematurely.

Before Jack came along, Tru Calling was a good show, with Tru battling unknown forces day in day out. But with the appearance of Jack, it became a great show, giving Tru a meaning and a formidable foe to boot. The battle of good and evil has finally begun, literally, and with equally capable contenders on each side of the ring. The exchange of words between Jack and Tru at the end of the episode illustrates that clearly, with each finally aware of the other’s presence.

Jack provided the much needed balance to the once one sided battle of Tru. Now, we get to see two sides of the story, life and death, and that sometimes death may just be part of the cycle of life that is better left in peace. Jack is so convincing simply because he is not the customary black and white baddie. He does not do what he does out of greed or fame (like so many typical villains), but like Tru, he truly believes he was meant to do what he does for the greater good. This sometimes create conflicts between viewers over which side to root for, or which side has the more convincing rationale.

Jack also feels remorse for what he has to do, not because he feels it’s not the right thing to do but because it is never easy to give someone the bad news, no matter how much good it does them. Jack has come to terms with what he does and is trying to win Tru over with every feat, proving that although his way may not be the best way, neither is Tru’s.

It helps that Priestly and Dushku have amazing chemistry, playing their roles with remarkable dedication and compassion. I look forward to their exchange of words (which is always a pleasure to witness, with Jack confidently taunting Tru and being a gracious loser if Tru wins a round). If the show had a longer life span, I would like to see the two characters finally getting together by trying to overcome their opposite stance, because I believe Jack would never want to hurt Tru but do all he can to ensure she is not harmed in any way.

But as it is, we only have 2 seasons to look back on and be glad that we got a chance to see Priestly beyond his Beverly Hills 90210 image.

(There, Bulert, you can stop throwing those tomatoes at me ;p)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2005-11-29T15:04:00.000+08:00

Saw Charlie and the Choco Factory on the flight to Shanghai last Monday. Speaking of flights, I’d like to digress and talk about airplane food. I absolutely love airplane food! I don’t know why people always complain and moan about it but the thing I look forward to most is being asked Chicken or beef / fish? Coffee or tea? (coffee, of course) I always go for the more western selections, such as Chicken with potatoes rather than chicken with rice. In my opinion, I think it’s because RBA serves the best airplane food.

On the flight to Shanghai I got the Chicken with potatoes, mushrooms and broccoli in a nice gravy, with a starter of seafood stick salad, and desert of choco cake (in line with the movie?). On the return flight, I had the fish in a creamy sauce, with potatoes, carrots and Llama beans, with a starter of mushrooms and vermicelli salad and desert of blueberry cheesecake. How is that not drool inducing?

Oh yeah, back to Charlie. Being that it is by Tim Burton, there are elements there that remind me of his previous films, with the snowy backdrop and tingly music score of Edward Scissorhands and Nightmare before Christmas.

When I first saw the trailer, I thought that Johnny Depp looked a bit odd with his whole makeup and costume and that it just wouldn’t work. But somehow, Depp manages to make it work. I think many might argue that this may not be his best role to date, but I felt he turned in another noteworthy performance as Willy Wonka. He may appear at times emotionless or distant to the audience but I expect that to be his interpretation of how Willy is apt to behave, given his odd upbringing. I find that the screen lights up only when Depp is in the scene and when he’s gone, it’s like the color has been taken out and everything is dreary black and white.

I was not sure I’d like the film in the first place but in the end I find it to be touching without being overbearing.

Overall, the film has a darker tone compared to the usual Disney fare targeted at young audiences. That, however, is precisely the reason that makes this film stand out among the other saccharine sweet run of the mill children’s fares. So perhaps that’s why more masochistic adults (like myself) will find the film’s evil tones utterly delicious. I find myself wishing Willy would off the children for good without bringing them back, or devising other more terrifying ways to torture them.

It’s of course not surprising that there were reports of children in tears after watching the movie. All thanks to Tim Burton who is unafraid of tackling and effectively capturing the wicked tones that Roald Dahl portrays in his books.

On a sofa spud note, I missed an entire week's worth of regularly scheduled programming (and their re-runs) as I gave the sofa a much needed week off to go exercise my leg muscles in the good ol' city of Shanghai.

Tru-ly, Madly, Deeply

2005-11-18T13:42:00.000+08:00

Ok, Tru Calling. Deep breath. It was fantastic as always. The End. There, satisfied, Bulert? Hehehe.

Chicken Little

2005-11-17T12:45:00.000+08:00

Saw Chicken Little on Sunday. Didn’t mean to. It was a toss up between that and Zorro (Both Doobert’s choices and he couldn’t decide which to go for). As it turns out, our decision was made easier when we showed up too late for Zorro making Chicken Little our main “chick” flick.

Prior to this, I had read only lukewarm reviews for both Chicken Little and Zorro. I remember seeing the trailer for Chicken Little a few months back and was really looking forward to seeing the movie because the trailer was so hilarious.

I think months of anticipation and seeing Chicken Little shaking his little booty in the trailer has taken the anticipation to boiling points. And it finally boiled over. The movie was just OK. It wasn’t mind blowing, gut wrenching, sock me in my face and made me stand up and look at chickens or other farm animals differently. It was just mediocre Disney fare.

It started off really well. And I think from there I kinda built myself up even more. The characters were pretty cute especially that of the little furry creature and Chicken Little (I did not expect him to have Zach Braff’s normal voice, but maybe more of a Zach on helium to match his little stature).

But with so many characters around, I thought the film makers would try to make them more memorable. But instead, it feels as if the other characters serve no purpose than to take up some screen time. What are their distinguishing characteristics? Their specialties? The Donkey in Shrek was memorable and was there to annoy Shrek. Even Puss in Boots was memorable with his Antonio Banderas accent. But the characters here such as Fish Out of Water, Runt of the Litter, Ugly Duckling (cutely named Abby *ahem*) and Foxy Loxy bears no distinguishing characteristics other than their very fabled names.

They don’t even try to be subtle with the parodies (when Abby screamed that it was like ‘War of the Worlds out there’). Doobert commented that it was like watching the Scary Movie movies. Where the movie was just an excuse to spoof other movies, actual plots be damned.

At times the movie feels like it’s dragging along. The reason might be the focus on the father-son relationship which was used give the movie its heart, but in fact was done much more effectively in Nemo. Which brings me to ask, why do most Disney movies have single parents? Actually I can do without a lot of the dad-son moments, a more snappy storyline, and in-depth characterization. This whole movie feels so unoriginal as many of the scenes seemed somehow familiar. It’s as if they slapped this movie together from different parts of other movies to create a Frankenstein movie.

A reviewer said that, because it is a movie by Pixar (which already has an impressively established resume), people expected more from it and if it was pilot film from a new studio, it would have been categorized as a very good effort. I, on the other hand feel that even if this was a first effort by a new studio, it still would not have been up to par. It just feels like a faded coin rather than one that is shiny new.

But having said all that, it is not without its funny moments (which are few but maybe they are focusing on quality over quantity?) and popular catchphrase (who we talking about now?). And by the way, doesn't Chicken Little reminds you so much of Dr. Dorian (J.D) in Scrubs?

The fat lady sung again.

2005-11-16T14:06:00.000+08:00

Oh, I saw the 2nd episode of the new Oprah on Sunday. And the reason I know it was a 2nd episode of the new Oprah is because Oprah said so herself before the start of her show so that no one would confuse it with the 8th episode of the 17th year. She had a few guests (not the usual 1 guest for the entire show), now I forgot who the others were, but one of them was the master himself, Sir Anthony Hopkins.

And what did she do, when she had one of the greatest actors of our time gracing her with his presence? She had SIR Anthony Hopkins read a phone book to her. The whole of England gasped in disbelief at such insult. She could have asked him anything. Anything. And she asks him to read her the Yellow Pages. If I was Anthony, I’d feel deeply insulted, thinking these Americans are so uncultured. She could have asked him to recite Shakespeare, would that have been so hard to think of? But the Yellow Pages? There’s just no telling how much one could be insulted on that show if one is not a personal friend of Oprah or Jennifer Aniston.

On the up side, she still did not interrupt people mid sentence. Fingers crossed for this to be permanent.

Fairlyodd Parents

2005-11-10T14:54:00.000+08:00

One of the routines during Puasa was getting up before dawn to eat the last meal of the day (and go back to sleep) before the fasting begins at sunrise. And being the sofa spud that I am, how can I eat without my faithful companion, the TV. Oh, yeah, Doobert too.

That’s when I happened to chance upon the Fairlyodd Parents on Nickelodeon. Ok, usually I don’t watch the “kids” channel, but I thought, hey, it’s 4AM, I don’t think my brain has caught up with my age yet.

The Fairlyodd Parents is of course the story of little Timmy Turner and his zany Fairy Godparents, Cosmo and Wanda (I swear they are as cute as their names). As it so happens every kid is bestowed with their very own set of Fairy Godparents until they reveal the existence of these Fairy Godparents to the world. If that was to happen, the Fairy Godparents would automatically be taken away permanently.

The series is hilarious and cute and it makes waking up at 4AM less dreary. Aside from trying to conceal the existence of his Fairy Godparents - who grants him any wish he wishes for – from his evil nemesis (a science teacher hell bent on proving that fairies exist), he also has to deal with his masochistic babysitter and overly concerned parents.

Buckteeth Timmy and his Godparents get into all sorts of antics and incredulous situations that never fail to make me laugh out loud. I heard that Jay Leno lends his voice to one of the characters. I’m speculating Cosmo, but I could be wrong. Doobert, by the way, does an impeccable impersonation of Cosmo (which led me to believe that HE could be the voice of Cosmo).

But now that Puasa is over, I haven’t seen an episode since. I actually missed it. My excuse is I don’t know what time they are showing it (other than 4AM). Yeah, I’m just THAT lazy to check the TV listings.

How to know when you’ve watched too many HK Cantonese serials.

2005-11-09T13:48:00.000+08:00

Well I’m one person who loves my HK TVB serials. I thought I’d put all those years of watching HK series to good use and start my own list just for fun after chancing upon the one by simontalks via kennysia’s site.

You know when you’ve watched too many HK Cantonese serials when:
1. Your Malay husband starts calling you Lou Po Cai.

2. Every time you explain something to someone you use an example of a scene that occurred in an episode of last night’s series.

3. You start calling your boyfriend’s mother Lai-lai.

4. You must eat dinner with your whole family at the dining table without the TV on in the background.

5. You always manage to hail a taxi whenever you need one just by a wave of your hand, even if you’re on top of a deserted hill.

6. You eat yao char kuai and porridge for breakfast.

7. You drink lots of tong sui.

8. You speak perfect HK Cantonese without the Malaysian slang of “lui”, “mata” and “semua”.

9. You wear a suit and tie and walk to work under the hot Malaysian weather.

10. You order ‘Set lunch’ every time you dine in a restaurant during lunch time without a second glance at the menu.

11. You name your dog Bobby or Cai Cai.

12. Your siblings are called Tai Mui, Sai Mui, Tai Di & Sai Di.

13. A theme song plays in your head every time you go through experiences you deemed dramatic.

14. Whenever you need to see someone off at the airport, there’s always a traffic jam and you end up having run all the way to the airport just in time to catch them at the boarding gate.

15. Your words of wisdom consist of clichéd quotes from all the HK series you’ve watched throughout the years.

16. Your ambition is to be a CID or own a filthy rich business empire.

17. You finish your dinner, the housework, shower and is in front of the TV by 6pm everyday except weekends.

18. You can predict the storyline for any series after watching the first episode yet you continue to watch and be surprised when the main actor ends up with the main actress.

19. Your aged parents or grandparents do Tai Chi with a group of aged people in the park every day at the crack of dawn.

20. Whenever someone is gravely ill, you piggy-back them and run all the way to the hospital because any other means of transport never crossed your mind.

21. Whenever you’re heartbroken, you go to a bar, order 2 beers and gets drunk and stumbles around babbling to your friends about your sorrows.

22. You always get stuck in an elevator with someone you have a crush on but is too shy to face / someone you hate / stalker.

23. You end every conversation with, "I'm going to shower first" (ngo hui chung liong sin).

It’s not over til the fat lady sings

2005-11-08T14:27:00.000+08:00

Watched Oprah on Sunday night. The one with the 20th year anniversary thingy where they remodeled the studio and the one with Jennifer Anniston, “The woman the world wants to talk to”. Incidentally, I prefer the old studio. It exudes more warmth and coziness. The new studio somehow feels devoid and cold, like an ice castle.

But anyhoo, the Jennifer Aniston segment was of course, the highlight of the show and what everyone tuned in for. We expect to finally hear her break her silence on the whole Brad and Angelina fiasco and her own romance with Vince. Instead Oprah asks her about her favorite food, favorite drink. What on earth?! There was not even a mention of the words Brad, Angelina or Vince! I doubt she was labeled (by Oprah, in fact) as “The woman the world wants to talk to” because we wanted to know her favorite pig out food!

And prior to the interview, Oprah had already invited Jen and her gal pals over for a pajama party at her villa. This means Oprah had already gotten all the dirt then and asked those vital questions off camera. So, what’s the point of having Jen over to the studio, if she’s not gonna ask her anything we’d like to know. That’s because Oprah’s just a big sissy. Since Jen is her ‘good friend’ she’s being sparing on her by not embarrassing her on TV by asking her questions about Brad’s infidelity or the breakup of her marriage.

Is this how the ‘new look’ of Oprah’s gonna be? Is Oprah going to invite every guest to her show to a pajama party the week before in her villa to get the real goss first before feeding us the filtered version on her show? That way, she just gets to have it all doesn’t she? I bet Jen’s actually sitting there wondering, why isn’t Oprah asking me anything interesting because I’d really like to spill my guts about Brad and Angelina.

One thing I did notice though was that Oprah actually stopped talking over people when they are still talking. Perhaps someone finally pointed that annoying fact to her and the fact that people want to hear what her guests had to say, not what she thinks they are trying to say. Or maybe that was just luck. We’ll see.

And that whole Hermes issue. C’mon. Did she really have to clarify that in her show if it wasn’t such a big deal (according to her) anyway? And getting the President of the company to come down to repeat his apology (or ‘explanation’ as she calls it), so that she can show what a gracious and forgiving person she actually is? Like everyone, I admire Oprah and all the good she has done, but sometimes she just have to learn to admit her own mistakes because as much as she thinks she is, she’s not always right about everything every time.

Everybody Hates Raymond

2005-11-07T15:48:00.000+08:00

Seems like Everybody Loves Raymond is back on the TV lineup again. Urgh. Man, watching that show makes me wanna gouge out my own eyes with my bare hands and stuff them into my ears.

Every episode, Ray and Debra scream and yell at each other. And for some trivial reasons that somehow only they can magnify into catastrophic proportions. I’m sure we’ve all had enough of all that screaming and yelling in real life, do we really need to tune in to watch it replayed all over again and think it’s funny now? I’m surprised those two are still married to each other. What do they even see in each other in the first place? And if that was a real marriage, it would have ended sooner than the honeymoon.

They try to portray Ray and his, may I say long suffering wife, Debra as an endearing couple going through everyday life in a marriage with their cute little quirks and habits. But Paul and Jamie Buckman they are not! I would call Paul and Jamie’s quirks and habits cute and endearing, but on Ray and Debra, urgh*%@!!#$. There, the gouging out my eyes thought just returned again, coupled with the intense feeling to punch Ray’s fugly face in.

Aren’t they even concerned about their kids? How do the kids in this feel hearing mom and dad yelling at each other all the time about trivial matters like who gets to use the bathroom. What kind of examples are they setting for their kids? Social services should really keep a close eye on them.

When I saw Mad About You, it makes me feel that marriage is a wonderful thing. I always thought Paul was an ideal husband and Jamie was the ideal wife for him and they have the ideal relationship. That’s what I would wanna have. That’s what I imagined life would be (if I could get a guy like Paul). They don’t take themselves too seriously and they always have everything in perspective. They know that what they are going through does not compare to, let’s say, an earthquake in Central America. This makes them able to laugh at themselves and the situations they get themselves into. They respect each other and listen to each other. Which is more than I can say for Ray and Deb, who’ve probably never even heard of the concept.

No matter how bad things get, when Jamie tells Paul off or vice versa, it never feels out of place or abusive, unlike Ray and Deb, where everything is a personal ego trip.

I’m so glad Mad About You came along before Raymond did. I mean if I had seen Raymond first, I think that would have put me off marriage forever. In fact, they should use that show as a form of birth control in countries like China and India.

And does Ray really believe he’s that funny? That, oohh I’m Ray and whatever comes out of my mouth is just so fucking hilarious even when I make a stupid face while saying it especially when I’m making fun of other people like my wife, brother and parents cuz they're all there purely to supplement me and make me look good. Ray is nothing, if it wasn’t for the side players like his brother, Robert and his parents Marie and Frank. They are the ones providing most of the laughs, and the only reason, if any, to put up with the show.

Something’s Gotta Give

2005-10-24T13:46:00.000+08:00

After watching Something’s Gotta Give (2003) a few nights ago on HBO, I’d like to add to my seemingly growing list of All time Favorites. Best Dress in a movie, belongs to Diane Keaton’s black dress that she wore on her first date with Keanu Reeves. Gosh, I want that black dress! Oh, while we’re at it, I want Amanda Peet’s body and that beachside house they all live in.

Well I can’t find a picture of that dress anywhere on the web, so I guess I’ll just have to ask people to watch that movie so that they know how the dress looks like and get one for me if they happen to see it. You know, normally in a movie, the main character gets a makeover and comes out in a great gown and everyone is awestruck, but it's kinda expected and I can see it coming already. But when Diane walked out in that dress, I was truly awestruck. I think I actually MARVELLED. It’s modest enough for my prudent taste. With 3 quarter sleeves instead of the classic spaghetti straps, and a V-neck that is not plunged too Elizabeth Hurley-ish.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, savouring the flawless performances of Diane Keaton (always a pleasure to watch, and a body to kill for at that age), Jack Nicholson, Amanda Peet, Keanu Reeves and Frances McDormand. The casts all had fantastic rapport with one another and their performances never feels forced. The Keanu here is extra drool worthy. All in all it’s a quaint little movie tinged with many insightful nuances that I don’t mind watching over and over again. And it’s a change watching two old people in a sex scene rather than the usual Hollywood sex symbols.

One complain though is the ending. It’s a clichéd Hollywood ending. The aged woman should end up with the aged man? If it was the other way round, I’m sure Jack Nicholson’s character would have no problem ending up with the younger model. I mean, who in their right mind would pass up Keanu’s suave, adoring young doctor for Jack Nicholson’s jaded and weary (albeit perceptive) playboy?

Pat on the back

2005-10-13T09:16:00.000+08:00

Had the strangest dream last night about conversations with Pat Rafter. Me, him and Bulert were going to this exotic food restaurant where they served things like fried insects, live maggots and worms etc. And he had no problem enjoying his food whereas I was declining everything that came my way except for the first course of prawns (been watching too much Fear Factor).

It was as if Pat and us had always been friends and he was visiting and we brought him around town and was about to go have dinner, when we stumbled upon this huge treehouse food court area.

So the conversation went a little something like this:

Me whispering to Bulert as Pat went to the washroom: I can’t believe we’re dining with Pat Rafter! I used to love watching him play tennis.

Bulert while chomping on her food: Oh is it.

Pat returns.

Me: Pat, how come you don’t play tennis anymore?
Pat: Yeah, that was a long time ago. I gave it up. It just wasn’t fun anymore competing all the time.
Me: How old were you then?
Pat: 22
Me: And now?
Pat: 33
Me: I remember reading somewhere that you had retired to the Bahamas with your fiancée.
Pat: Nah, I’m here.
Me: What happened to your fiancée?
Pat: We’re no longer together.
Me: I remember the times when I used to watch you play tennis. You always tied your hair up really high and had white sun block on your nose. It’s always the nose that gets sunburn innit?
Pat: Yep.

Then I thought, Pat’s not really a conversationalist is he. So I didn’t wanna bother him with my incessant questioning. Thus the eating fest continued with him enjoying his food. Bulert met the taukeh neo there and happened to know her so chatted with her. And I was looking at all those weird food squirming around.

Just had to get that out of my system.

Meanwhile, saw Timeline (2003) 2 nights ago on HBO, starring Paul Walker, Frances O’connor, Gerard Butler, Anna Friel and Billy Connolly. I never heard of this movie before. Just saw the promo on the Astro magazine and thought it sounded potentially interesting with the time travel to medieval France plot, because most (serious) time travel movie don’t do medieval. Black Knight doesn’t count as serious. Oh and also because I saw the info also mentioned that it was based on a Michael Crichton book. So I thought, that could not be a bad thing.

I could not be more wrong. It started off pretty boring with all the archeological digs and technical jargons. I don’t even know if this was supposed to be based on actual historical events and historical figures or was it all made up (since I’m not that well versed at all in European history). The acting was appalling. Well, I guess that is to be expected of Paul Walker, but I kinda expected more from Frances O’connor. But she was being so annoying with a squeaky voice and over dramatic portrayal of the professor’s assistant that it made her seem like a young teen on her first outing, not a professional archeologist. I mean the woman would probably die of a heart attack if she saw an ant.

And if Paul Walker was supposed to be the lead in this movie, it wasn’t obvious at all. He hides around other actors with his bad acting, and he doesn’t have any leadership qualities or leading man charisma. He doesn’t get any juicy dialogs or fantastical romance scene, he just feels like a side player, although it was his dad that they were supposed to be rescuing. In fact, all these qualities were possessed by Gerard Butler, who, more often than not seemed to be the lead instead, after seeing that Paul was unable to step up. Maybe Paul should just stick to looking pretty and standing next to a sports car or a pair of boobs.

Another thing I can’t understand is why they cast the obviously British Anna Friel in the part of a French woman. Her accent was inconsistent and there are so many other young and exotic looking French actresses out there that they could have used, such as Virginie Ledoyen, Eva Green , Emmanuelle Beart, Julie Delpy or even Sophie Marceau. At least they would have had a consistent accent if not a more convincing one and spoke more French especially with the character’s own brother. But then again, these talented ladies would have known that this was going to be a disaster and disassociated themselves from the film instead of risked derailing their careers.

The plot was also quite choppy, with some main characters getting killed off way too easily and for trivial reasons, as if to add to the body count. It stressed me out just watching the film, with chaos everywhere, as if there wasn’t even a script and the actors were running around improvising.

And if Marek (Gerard Butler) and, everyone else for that matter, already knows what happened in history during that period in time, then why did he still ask Lady Claire (Anna Friel) whether she is married or have a boyfriend (since he was starting to have feelings towards her. *cough* corny *cough*). Wouldn’t he already know?

Numb3rs

2005-10-11T11:04:00.000+08:00

Saw the premier of Numb3rs last night on AXN. Yeah that’s how it was spelled, creativity at work here, people. The first time that the maths professor, Charlie Epps spoke, I thought he sounded like a geek I used to know. A geek that was in teen movies like 10 Things I Hate About You, Adams Family, The Santa Clause etc. Then I thought, nah, couldn’t be, this guy looks way more gorgeous, has a more define jawline and is thinner (and possibly taller). But throughout the whole show, I can’t shake the feeling that there are some similarities. Since my internet connection was down last night, I couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning and google information about David Krumholtz aka Charlie Epps, and Holy Batmobile, it IS the nerd I used to know in movies such as 10 Things I Hate About You, Adams Family and The Santa Clause.

But, but, but..how? Did he get plastic surgery? Don’t tell me it’s the hormones kicking in (all the teen actresses are already using that excuse for their sudden boobs growth). He MUST have gotten plastic surgery! I saw a few sites where people commented that he’s had a nose job, but I think it’s more than a nose job, must have been cheeks and jawline too because his cheeks and chin looks visibly thinned out, resulting in a more defined and elongated jawline. Also, his eyes look a bit closer together too.

Well, I can’t say I didn’t have a sick to the stomach feeling after that confirmation. He has also changed the way he talks to lessen the emphasis on his nasal Queens accent. That, coupled with the facial changes, the new hairstyle and a 5 0’clock shadow has turned a nerd into a hunk. Ugh, I think it’s so unfair, I felt so cheated. I mean, you’re either a hunk in the first place, or you’re not. You don’t morph yourself from annoying little twerp to leading man hunk overnight just because you thought you deserved to be a hunky leading man and the only thing getting in the way was how you looked. Note: Ethan Hawke, as a child actor was already a hunk in the making and so was others such Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Devon Sawa.

And I don’t care about the deluge of fans coming to his defense about him not having surgery and that he just lost weight. I’ve lost weight before, and it’s not like my whole facial features changed dramatically til I’m unrecognizable. They also argued that it is possible that he just grew into his more mature looks now as he was merely 16 in some movies. Hey, when I saw him in 10 Things I hate about you (1999), he was already 21 (he was born in 1978), and his looks then was much different from the way he looks now. And I think the age for ‘maturing’ into your looks would have already come and gone by then. Take a look at these pictures and tell me if it’s the same guy. I know, I’m harping on the guy's facial features, but I just can’t get over it. So what if I’m as shallow as the water in a toilet bowl. Sigh, why didn't they cast someone else instead?

Getting back to Numbers, the pilot was not bad. Most of the main characters were likeable, and I was surprised, though I haven’t decided if it was pleasant or otherwise, to see Peter McNichols (The Biscuit in Ally McBeal) as part of the cast as well. However, the show could do with a few more interesting female characters, preferably a more familiar face (but I’ve only seen the pilot, so I'll give them time to flesh that out).

The script was interesting, with many fascinating maths theories and formulas at work. And the way they filmed it presented a very interesting angle, overlapping scribbles of formulas directly onto the real object and layering some shots with black and white visuals. I wondered who they find to do the background research on all this maths stuff. Apparently, according to the CBS website, the math used in each episode of NUMB3RS is based on real FBI cases. Mathematics consultants work with NUMB3RS throughout production to ensure that the math used to help analyze and solve crimes is real and accurate. The site along with Texas Instruments (TI) even has a math education program for teachers and parents to teach students the importance of maths based on theories used in every episode of the show. Clever trick to get people to watch the show, innit?

Sorta rekindled my interest in maths, a little. I said, a little. Although, I have to say I’ve always been interested in the theories of probability. According to my calculations, the probability of David “the ex nerd” Krumholtz being propelled to superstardom due to his role in Numbers = 100%

First Times

2005-10-10T11:05:00.000+08:00

Was stuck in a traffic jam this morning for more than 25 minutes for the first time ever, making me 15 minutes late for work today (not the first time *wink*). The queue was as far as the eye can see. Some police van and squad car was snaking its way between the queue to get to whatever was holding everyone up. I was imagining some Hollywood car pile ups aka Bad Boys, or some fugitive on the run aka The Fugitive, but knowing Brunei, it's probably another boring car accident that'll I'll just read about in the papers tomorrow.

Also heard Kenny Sia’s voice for the first time today on his audio post. Actually he sounded like how I thought he would, though many commented on his site that he didn’t sound like what they expected. So, surprisingly I find myself not surprised when I heard his voice (as I expected myself to be after reading the comments from others). Even his slang was what I expected, not too Ah Beng-ish, more standard continental Asian.

Saw Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998) last night on StarMovies, starring Drew Barrymore and Dougray Scott. Didn’t realize the film was 8 years ago! It seemed fairly recent. I actually bought the VCD after seeing the movie the first time because I quite like the story and Dougray Scott. But now I don’t actually watch the VCD anymore, maybe because I’ve since moved on from Dougray. And there's also HBO and StarMovies to refresh my memory about the film occasionally.

My favorite scene would be when Danielle and Henry encountered the gypsies and she defiantly demanded she be given back her belongings and a horse, to which the gypsy replied she can have whatever she can carry. And she went and carried Henry. Classic. I've always wondered, did tiny Drew really manage to carry Dougray?

Many have said that Drew was perfect for the role, but looking back now, with hindsight, I would have preferred another actress, with a more striking look, as Drew tends to look like a dirty tomboy most of the time, rather than a distinguished lady, but then again, that was the effect the movie was going for. So, all as it should be then.

Somehow, I also find that, although the movie tries to exemplify female empowerment, it seemed a little overdone, what with Danielle constantly rising to the occasion and saving her own damsel self. She doesn’t have to be the one wearing the pants all the time. It would have been nice to see Henry saving her for once, so that he too gets a chance at being the hero in the proverbial fairytale. I’m glad they didn’t decide to have Henry be the one that lost his glass slippers instead.

Also showing last night was Day After Tomorrow (2004). I was a little surprised that they were showing such a recent film so soon on cable, because I remember seeing this in the cinema not too long ago. Actually I quite enjoyed the movie. I love big summer blockbusters with big actions sequences and fantastical special effects. That's what the cinema is for. To showcase such actionpieces. And Day After Tomorrow was right up that alley.

An amusing little anecdote connected to this movie, as many Malaysians or Malay speaking country would know, was the mouthful English title translated to only one word in Malay – LUSA. When I was in the cinema and the subtitles appeared, the whole cinema was roaring from the ingenious translation.

This was also the movie that I noticed Emmy Rossum and the image of a more mainstream looking Jake Gyllenhaal started to register in my brain (after his wacky turn in Bubble Boy, Donny Darko and The Good Girl).

Oh, being October, it's the month of Halloween on TV. StarWorld has promised a 'scary' lineup today and as usual I look forward to all the Halloween episodes of regular series featured this month. And hopefully this year, just like last year, they will have a marathon Halloween special on 31 October.

Sandman

2005-10-09T00:27:00.000+08:00

Just watched 50 First Dates (2004) on HBO. I've seen this movie before but seeing it again reminded me that it has the most touching ending scene. Also, it's not a typical Hollywood fairytale ending where Lucy regains her memory and they live happily ever after. Well, no doubt, the ending has them living happily ever after but in a more realistic way. And the way the song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow (the movie’s ukulele version by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole, which I just realized was not included in the OST of the movie) was playing on the background, as Lucy was greeted by John and saw her daughter, ugh, melts my wooden heart. Something to sit back and reflect upon.

Damn that Adam Sandler, can he only be this good when he's with Drew Barrymore? She seems to bring out the normal human being in him, the one that’s not a drunk and yelling obscenities at everyone and everything in his path. He even manages to make me empathize with him and I NEVER empathize with Adam Sandler under normal circumstances.

I don’t think he should give up his day job, by the way. I mean has anyone seen Eight Crazy Nights aka Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights (2002)? The fact that his name was included together with the title, seemed to suggest the producers of the film really wanted people to know that Adam Sandler was in it, or rather his voice(s).

Sandler has one of the more distinguishable voices in Hollywood. You can tell it’s him when he starts screaming and cursing his lungs out, there’s no mistaken that annoying tone. So when he attempts to lend his voice to not one but 2 of the main characters, (Davy and Whitey) you’d think he’d at least make an effort at making the two characters sound distinctive. Ok, I know he was also the voices of Eleanor and a, urm, reindeer.

Sandler’s Davy sounds exactly like himself and his Whitey sounds, yep, exactly like himself except in a higher tone of voice. So as if his normal tone is not annoying enough, we are treated to the high pitched version to double the torture. C’mon which old man SOUNDS like that? Is he even trying, or is he doing it on purpose so that we’ll know it’s him? He should take a page from the master himself, Eddie Murphy. Playing 8 different characters in one movie and making each look and sound distinctive, that's what you call kick ass talent.

No doubt, Eight Crazy Nights has got to be the worst Christmas/Hanukah/Holidays animated film ever. At least if it wasn’t an animated movie, it wouldn’t have been so bad just watching Adam Sandler acting like the ass he normally is. But those animations deserve better voices breathing life into them.

Lou po cai

2005-10-07T13:53:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong Cantonese series have been a staple of me and Lubert since as long as I can remember. I mean, I learned to speak Cantonese just from watching these series; from reading the Malay subtitles as I didn’t understanding a single word in Cantonese, to now being able to speak the dialect confidently.

When I was a spudling, TV2 supplied my daily dose of 1 hour TVB Cantonese drama serial. Then TV3 came along and we had 2 Canton drama serials to look forward to every weekdays. Now with Astro, and the myriads of TVB channels available, there is an endless supply of both new and old series to pick from.

A normal TVB series usually lasts about 20 episodes but there are a few odd ones reaching 50 episodes or beyond. Thus, watching these series for that extended amount of time made me feel like I was part of the lives of these characters. I sort of form a bond with them and start feeling like I’ve known them for years and they’ve grown with me over time.

I’ve seen my share of Hong Kong actors come and go over the years. Many of these actors have migrated due to the 1997 handover of Hong Kong from the British, with many fearing the worst. However, since then, many of the veterans have made a comeback after realizing situation in Hong Kong was not as bad as they initially thought it would be, and, I guess, after exhausting their funds.

I just found out recently that some of these HK actors like Flora Chan could not read Chinese (due to the fact that many of them grew up abroad) and would have their script translated. If I had known that was an option, I would have pursued my dreams of becoming a TVB actor!

Anyway, since that ship has long sailed, let’s just move on. I’m constantly amazed at the variety of storylines they can come up with in these Canton series. I mean there must be tons of these series, but each one manages to feel fresh and distinguish itself from one another. It could also be that new actors are brought in to bring new life to old remakes.

In the 80s and 90s, storylines with exciting twists and plots were all the rage. Now in the 2000s they tend to focus more on real daily life matters, showcasing also the improvement on the quality of modern life of Hongkies these days, with disposable income for finer things in life such as wine, fine dining, arts, antiques, fashion and so on. The set designs are no longer tacky, but a true work of architectural and interior designing art. The scripts no longer spin tales of deceit and conspiracy so removed from real life, but focused more on relatable situations and mundane human conflicts. No more soap opera-ish plotting and scheming, murdering and blackmailing, but rather more on human relationships and its complexity, and life in the modern society.

However my favorite types of series are still those involving family drama or trials and tribulations in the corporate world. I still like to see some action, although removed from real life, but they sure add to the cliffhanger factor.

One of the older series that I enjoyed for those exact sentiments was Conscience (1994) with Maggie Siu, Derek Wan and Amy Kwok. There were elements of friendship, love, betrayal, plotting, murder, and revenge, all that makes a series good. Plus I’ve always liked Maggie Siu after that. She’s one of those dedicated actors that can completely immerse herself into her roles. She has since been relegated to playing more matronly roles these days although she still looks as youthful as she did 20 years ago.

My favorite male actor is Chi Lam, of course. Aside from being easy on the eyes, he can also act the pants off any Hollywood actors worth his salt. And one of the best Chi Lam Series was Cold Blood, Warm Heart (1996) with Adam Cheng and I also like Rememberance (1994) with Kenix Kwok. Info and pictures courtesy of http://chilamnet.com, one of the most comprehensive Chi Lam site in English.

But lately I am also starting to appreciate Roger Kwok. I’m watching his current series on Wah Lai Toi, To Get Unstuck in Time. Yeah, I know, why do they always come up with these ridiculous English titles. Initially I didn’t quite like the series because I find Flora Chan’s acting these days to be annoying. But Roger Kwok was able to single handedly change my mind about the entire series. He puts in such earnest and heart felt emotions into his performance, actually in whatever roles he plays.

I also started to relate to the storyline of him being able to call his dad in the past (1984) from an old bulky phone he found in the present time of 2004/2005. In the present time, his father had been dead for 20 years (since he was a young boy) and being able to converse with his dad again using the phone offers many opportunities to right wrongs and investigate on going crimes (as he is a police officer). I think I can relate because I wished I had a phone that would allow me to converse with my dad again back in time.

And of course, the best series Roger Kwok was in was Square Pegs aka the Lou Po Cai series with Jessica Hsuen. Even Doobert likes that series. Jessica Hsuen has also come a long way since she first joined TVB as a pixie haired hyperactive young woman. Now that she has matured, she has acquired a more refined look and a more controlled performance.

Same could not be said about Sharmaine Sheh who gets more garish with every performance. I remember the first time she came on the scene. She can barely act, she was so wooden! Now, after several films under her very slim belt, she acts like she’s an old pro, which makes her prone to exaggerated expressions and over acting.

Ah TVB, where would we be without you?

You sexy thang

2005-10-06T13:29:00.000+08:00

A colleague of mine once commented to me that she thought John Malcovich was the sexiest old guy in Hollywood. And I told her, I thought he had such a maniacal look, I’m actually peeing in my pants just looking at his picture. There’s no way, he wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night, stabbed you to death and smile maniacly, even in the real world. Sorry John, I know you’re a really decent guy. Gulp, don’t wanna risk offending Mr. Maniac, I mean Mr. Malcovich, sir.

So that got me thinking who are the good looking or sexy and aged actors in Hollywood. I used to think Harrison Ford was a handsome old guy. That was before he was mistaken as a granny buying adult diapers at a store. He was actually buying the diapers for his girlfriend, Calista’s kid, but the clerk mistook him for a granny and directed him to the adult diapers section. So I’ve taken him off my list. Tsk, how the mighty have fallen.

I’ve made my own list of some of the actors over 50 that I think are still hot, and some which are not.

On my list
Ok, I know Kevin Spacey is not over 50 but he’s achieved just as much. And being one of the more prolific actors, he deserves to be on my list. I think I only really noticed him after movies like The Usual Suspects, American Beauty and The Negotiator. He has a certain kind of presence, even if he was just playing the supporting role in some films.

Ryan O’Neal came back into the scene after I saw him in the series Mismatch as Alicia Silverstone’s slick lawyer dad. And then later in Desperate Housewives as the philandering dad of Doug Savant’s character. He brings a slyness into such roles, making him perfect choice for a young at heart, not your typical dad, dad.

I wonder if anyone ever thought of Bill Murray as being sexy. But he’s a hell of a funny guy and I do like him, although he frequently reminds me of a groundhog. Now he’s proof that a guy can walk around with bed hair and still earn millions.

Ian McKellen has that regal look of someone with a higher authority that everyone would bow with respect for.

Who doesn’t like Dustin Hoffman. He represents the underdog, especially considering his size. Even when Hoffman is trying to be a menacing mobster, I can’t help thinking he’s just so adorable.

Now, Alan Rickman, has my vote. Top of my list. Well preserved for his age. Remarkable in every single thing he’s in. And I have a thing for British accents.

Oh, almost forgot about Bruce Willis. He is truly the epitome of aged sexiness. Baldness never looked so hot as it does on Bruce. He has got to be the biggest studmuffin of all. I mean he is the leader of the studmuffin pack. Numero uno muffin. The man looks better and better with age. He looks especially yummy in his guest role in FRIENDS.

Off my list
Kevin Costner used to be the hottest thing in the 90s. He can do no wrong. Then he did. His career was marred by more flops than hits but blinded by his own ego, he went on to tackle more big projects. Now, his looks have faded, and he’s just trying to recapture his glory days. But I think he’s a has-been and should bow out gracefully rather than still keep trying to take on those young rookie roles.

Robert Redford is a classic. I mean he’s always had nice facial features and he’s never been vain about his looks. But he does have a bad case of wrinkles. I mean it’s so bad that when I look at his face, I have an immense urge to sweep past the lines with my hands. So it was about time that he finally relented and got a face lift. But he’s not really someone I’d put on my list in terms of personality wise, he’s just Mr. Boring, isn’t he?

I know Gene Hackman is a highly regarded actor, but I just never liked the guy. I don’t think his acting abilities are anything out of the ordinary, I just think it’s overacting, boosted by an over inflated ego that has been validated by endless ass kissing by his fans and peers. And if he puts on a dress, he and Harrison Ford can go shopping for grandma panties together.

I never thought of Liam Neeson as sexy nor even remotely good looking. I mean maybe when he was younger and first came onto the scene. But he’s too lunky making him look clumsy to be anything other than a Neanderthal.

Sure Pierce Brosnan is extremely good looking. He’s Mr. Bond, James Bond, for goodness sake. But he’s always the gentlemen, playing it safe. The closest I’ve seen him come to being a jerk was in The Mirror Has Two Faces where he played Alex, the man who was supposed to be dating Barbra Streisand before he off and married her sister. I think there are some qualities lacking about him or maybe he’s just too overexposed? Overexposedly lacking, now there’s an oxymoron.

cis…CSI

2005-10-03T11:14:00.000+08:00

CSI, is, of course one (or three) of the top rated crime investigation series on prime time. A lot has been said about the original (CSI Las Vegas) and its spawns, CSI Miami and CSI New York. I often thought to myself, isn’t it hard enough to think up fresh scripts for one series, but three? And to make them distinguishable from one another? Apart from the locations and casts, there are only so many ways u can slice up a corpse and analyse the DNA of a particle. But maybe the show IS that good that we DO need 3 doses of it a week. Watch it long enough and you’ll come to expect the requisite twist at the end of the story, just when they lead you to think one person did it, it turned out to be another.

My favorite CSI used to be New York because I find almost all of the cast more likeable than the other series’. I also like NY because I like watching Melinda Kanakaredes for her passion but when I watch Miami, I like watching Emily Procter for her fashionable pants. So I guess in each series, aside from the mains, I like to single out an actor / actress that I think is outstanding to me, compared to the rest.

In CSI Las Vegas, I like watching Eric Szmanda for his fresh faced earnestness and Marg Helgenberger’s wardrobe. I can’t get the image of Willliam L. Petersen as a pervert in those B-grade movies out of my head, for me to put 100% trust in him without getting the feeling that he would suddenly turn around, show his true colors and hack people to death. Jorja Fox and George Eads, both although gorgeous, are a bit too temperamental and self righteous in their causes.

In Miami, aside from Emily Procter’s gorgeous blond locks, there’s Rory Cochrane’s quiet, brooding portrayal of Tim Speedle. I believed he only lasted 2 seasons, though I don’t know why. So it's a good thing there's Jonathan Togo filling in the void. Jonathan does for CSI Miami what Eric does for CSI Las Vegas.

In NY, Carmine Giovinazzo & Hill Harper caught my attention. Carmine emitting a charismatic aura and Hill as the young, ruggedly good looking and perennially cheerful black medical examiner.

Although I don't follow the shows religiously, now I've got one (if not two) more reasons to watch all 3 CSIs.

On another note, I saw a trailer for a new series about a mathematician using maths to solve crimes, called aptly enough, Numbers. The guy can use any mathematical calculations to solve any crime by determining the location, the time and so on. Geesh, if only someone had told me when I was in school that maths would be so useful, I’d have forced myself to memorise those darned formulas. The nerds DO rule the world eh. Hey kids, it’s cool to be a mathematician after all.

Flavorful

2005-09-30T15:13:00.000+08:00

Saw this amusing little Indian-American movie 2 nights ago on StarMovies called Flavors (2003). Generally, I enjoy watching Indian-American and other ethnic-American films as they normally contain amusing little anecdotes on life from a non American perspective. Having lived in Australia for over a year, I can actually relate how the characters in such films try to fit in and adjust to life in a different country and adopt that country’s culture next to their own.

The Indians in this movie are mostly IT programmers, again something which I should relate to, especially in a scene when a potential employer, during the process of interviewing an applicant, asked the question: What can you use to perform a binary search on a data table other than the primary key, and I actually knew the answer (heh, I know, pathetic). It also highlights the fact that Asians, particularly Indians are widely employed in the IT industry of developed countries.

The story is intricately woven. Starting off with the introduction of all the characters separately, as we slowly see how all their lives become intertwined with one another and eventually merging into one whole community. The characters in such films are richly developed and I feel as if they’ve lived next door to me and I’ve known them all my life.

The film maintains a good pace as there are never any dull moments. It is also exceptionally funny, insightful and touching with a snappy script littered with smooth flowing dialogs. The entire cast gave sterling performances. The acting is so effortless, it’s as if they were just living out their everyday lives and a camera happened to capture it.

Another gem to add to the collection.

Til divorce do us part

2005-09-29T19:49:00.000+08:00

Hollywood marriage bust-ups are nothing out of the ordinary. In fact what seemed to surprise most people is if a couple can remain together longer than 6 months. As soon as the vows are exchanged and the ring hits the finger, a wager is on to see how long before the couple bites the dust.

Recent bust-ups included Renee Zellweger’s 4 month marriage to Kenny Chesney. I recall not long ago just seeing a picture of them strolling hand in hand barefooted on the beach in the Virgin Islands during their wedding and Renee exclaiming how happy she was and Kenny could not be more elated. How can a scene like that suddenly just turned full circle in just a few short months? Now I wonder if her ex, Jack White of the White Stripes will also file an annulment because we all know he married model, Karen Elson just to spite Renee.

There is also a trend for stars to marry at a young age. Young Hollywood couples include Ryan Fellipe and Reese Witherspoon, Freddie Prince Jr and Sarah Michelle Gellar, err Britney and Federline? So when I heard of the recent divorce of Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush after only 5 months of marriage, I was a little devastated. I guess I’ve always felt these two belong together. I can’t imagine them with anyone else but each other. They were young, gorgeous, in love and finally decided to marry, so why did it end so quickly and suddenly? And why did Chad sounded more devastated about the split than Sophia?

"This is a difficult and unfortunate situation," Sophia Bush said in a statement. "I am glad this is being resolved sooner rather than later."

Chad issued a statement of his own, saying: "I am saddened to announce that Sophia and I are separating. This is a very difficult time for me."

Other couples that I can’t imagine them with anyone else but each other are Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman; and of course Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. When Tom and Nicole first announced their split, I refused to believe it was true. There were rarely any reports of their marriage being on the rocks and even if it was, they’ve been together 9 years, that’s like 90 years in Hollywood time. Couples who made it through the 5 year mark should, by right, have better chances of survival.

Since then, Nicole and Tom have both been dating other people, but it just feels so weird seeing them with other people, because in my mind, I keep thinking they are still married. And of course it doesn’t help that they remain so civil to each other. It’s not easy to separate after spending such a long time together. I wonder who will marry first and if their spouse will ever be able to measure up to their ex, because I’d sure like to know who Tom and Nic finds that can top Tom and Nic. I like Katie but she’s just a kid.

I expected Brad and Jennifer to go the distance. I mean, is there anyone more perfect for each other out there than these two? When Brad and Jen found each other, the world rejoiced in the fact that the union of these two will not only produce the most gorgeous offspring the universe has ever witnessed, but also that the marriage will last forever. I think we pictured Jen and Brad growing old together. I know I did. So it was a little premature to have the marriage end after only 4.5 years. Is Brad really with Angelina Jolie? Is Jen really with Vince Vaughn?

When they first split, and I thought that since Brad had Angelina, who would go well with Jen? I mean, are there many Hollywood actors out there over the age of 35 (and below 50, please) that are rich, handsome, famous and single? Well, Vince certainly didn’t cross my mind. Or should she just go for a younger actor (because there are plenty of those out there) just to show Brad that she can still get anyone she wants? Who’s hot now? Orlando Bloom? Jake Gyllenhaal?

Well all the splits aside, Demi and Ashton got hitched. I give them 8 months, tops.

News Killers

2005-09-28T14:34:00.000+08:00

I don’t normally watch the news because it’s just too depressing but when I do, I feel that a good newsreader is critical. Their pronunciation must be clear, the number of mistakes should be at a minimum and a certain persona should be present so that the audience does not get too distracted.

Starworld news used to have quite a capable newsreader in Angeline Rao. Her diction is spot on, tinged with a British accent. Her rhythm is just right. Although she’s slightly on the heavier side, her face and makeup is immaculate, and she always looks presentable since she sits behind a desk anyway. She makes very few mistakes and has a confident yet humble persona. She was around for quite a number of years and I have gotten so used to hearing her voice every now and then reading snippets of the news. Then she suddenly vanished off the air. Since then, others that have been replacing her are abysmal. They were mostly correspondence previously, so they were not exactly newbies to the business.

There was one Joe Khinds (or something like that), who makes too many mistakes and appears too nervous. Must be getting more used to being in the background as a correspondence than being the main man.

He was shortly replaced by another correspondence, Shakuntilasantaran. Yeah, from the way she said it, that’s how her named sounded like and I thought it was one word. Then I saw the caption and it was Shakun Tilasantaran. Or then again, was it Shakuntila Santaran. But I had gotten so used to calling her Shakuntilasantaran by then. She was worst than Joe. At least Joe’s diction wasn't so bad. Shakun’s is very heavily accented and I can barely discern what she was trying to say. Worst, she mispronounced the names of world leaders. Her tone and rhythm was totally off and her reading was also littered by mistakes. She has no persona and looks like she’s standing in a classroom reading an essay. If she was to read a storybook to a kid, the kid would literally die of boredom.

So I was thankful that she was replaced by another woman now. But it’s out of the frying pan and into the pits of hell. This new woman, Debra Khan (I think that's how it's spelled) reads every single word separately and slowly like they were just standalone words and not part of a sentence. She has the same accent as Shakun, so I would assume they are from the same area. I mean come on! I can read better than these people! Ok, I may not be as camera friendly but at least I can pronounce better. Can’t Starworld at least find some talented people or at least people who speaks better English? I mean even those Channel V and MTV VJ rejects are way better.

Also, last night I finally saw another long time correspondence’s face after hearing her heavily accented English for so long. Gorylackenpal, my own spelling of course and again it sounded like one whole word. My god, she was a sight. First of all, she was not in makeup, wearing a t-shirt, her hair was very loosely tied, I think she was even missing a tooth. No wonder they never showed her face before.

Whatever happened to professionals in a suit?

Uptown Girls

2005-09-27T19:22:00.000+08:00

Saw Uptown Girls (2003) with Britanny Murphy, Dakota Fanning and Heather Locklear last night on HBO at around 1am. I thought it was strangely poignant. Could be the wee hours of the morning getting to me, or it could be, prior to that, I just watched a B-grade movie, Dangerous Waters: Shark Attack aka Spring Break Shark Attack (2005), which by the way, wasn’t half bad.

I’ve never really liked Dakota Fanning much, I mean especially after she became more well known, simply because I feel she was just too overrated. But without doubt, she is good in most of her roles, and Uptown Girls was no exception. I do give credit where it’s due.

When I first saw the trailer, I thought it was another typical fluff movie where a spoilt rich girl losses her fortune, is forced to get a job babysitting a snotty kid and learns a valuable lesson in life. Of course, I could take a shot at how it’s gonna end. Especially with the high strung Brittany Murphy as the lead. But it was the journey there that proved not as straight forward.

I’ve always liked Britanny, especially when I saw her in Don’t Say a Word (2001) with Michael Douglas and Girl Interrupted (1999), where she managed to steal my attention away from Angelina Jolie and Wynona Ryder. I thought she had tremendous talent. Then she became a permanent blond, turned all ditzy and starred in that disaster of a movie, Just Married with that catastrophe that is Ashton Kutcher. After that, I just felt she tries too hard and gets too irritating with that contrived shriek that she perfected in Just Married and continue to use in all her other roles, making her totally one dimensional. Or maybe, Ashton is just a bad influence on her.

But it seemed her ditziness was balanced off by Dakota’s character, Ray’s own over the top animosity. So two negatives does equal a positive, in this case. They both play off each other well, and I was briefly reminded of what I had admired in Britanny and how she can be most effective when she is being subtle. Those somber moments depicting instances of loneliness, fear, vulnerability and need to hang on to something that means the world to her, were portrayed in many intricate levels yet seemed to bounce off her with ease.

This was, of course, not the best performance by Dakota in a movie, but it’s still good, especially when she tries so hard to be strong on the outside shielding the scared little kid inside. A feeling some of us can relate to at one time or another in our lives. This was especially so, in the scene where she went off to Coney Island alone and sat in the Spinning Teacup ride to try to feel the essence of what it must have been like for Molly, Britanny’s character, after she had lost her dad when she was eight.

What I really liked about this movie was that, unlike the usual romantic comedies/drama where the romance of the male and female leads are essentially the creamy centre of the film, this movie focuses more on the relationship between Molly and Ray. Molly didn’t even end up finding true love along the way as most films would have added that in for good measure. So I’m glad that they decided to forego that, in exchange for something more substantial thus packing a more solid punch.

Step Forwards?

2005-09-26T15:52:00.000+08:00

I rarely watch locally produced shows and I especially hate those TV3 produced shows like Nusantara, Sembilan Sembilan Sembilan (damn mouth full of saying 999), Kisah Benar (more like Kisah Exaggeratedly Palsu), and various Talk Shows (Wanita Hari Ini, Apa-apa Aje, etc), I don’t mind the dramas so much because every country has a drama industry churning out the staples to fill in the allotted quota.

But, first of all, the government is trying to discourage people from believing in things like black magic, bomoh and the supernatural, yet they allow TV3 to come up with Nusantara. I find the show to be utter hogwash and feeding off the gullible public’s fascination with the supernatural (which being that it is captured occurring in their own country, becomes even more fascinating). Such shows are totally detrimental especially for young impressionable minds.

They have also ventured into reality shows with Mencari Cinta (ala the Bachelorette). I don’t know why, I feel it is quite inappropriate for Malaysia to have a reality show centred on finding true love. Call me old fashioned but I still think Malaysia is quite a conservative nation, families still value their honour, and to have your daughter go out and ‘date’ 10 different men over a period of time in order to choose the perfect man, is considered shameful, as if to say your daughter is not laku. Not to mention the emotions involved, and being Asians we do not dismiss our feelings as easily as Westerners especially when these feelings have developed over time. So to have the object of your affection dating other people and to be eliminated by them, all live on TV for a whole nation to see, packs a very strong impact. I don’t want to sound preachy but being Muslims (as I assume most of the contestants on the show are), they set an even worst example to youngsters nowadays, again what with the government’s efforts to build a nation with healthy morales based on the Islamic way of life.

There’s also another reality show, similar to the Amazing Race, where contestants are in teams and run around (til they pass out or puke) and completing some tasks (I forgot what the show is called), which I don’t mind as much because it involves sports and competing the old fashioned way. And besides, this show does not paint a glossy picture of the contestants in sparkling jewelry and dazzling nightgowns (as you can see them all sweaty and without makeup).

I feel that most of TV3’s shows are blatant narcissistic ventures to show that they are the more if not most versatile TV station in Malaysia with the most dynamic presenters, best scriptwriters, most creative concepts etc. I guess it does help that most of the TV3 presenters managed to snag themselves some rich & reputable husbands. They’re recruiting campaign should read, girls, want to be famous and marry rich? Join TV Tiga. Ticket emas anda.

So I was pleasantly surprised while channel surfing over the weekend that I came upon the show Step Forwards (or Forward?) on Channel 18 Astro (also known as Channel 8) at 6.30pm on Sunday (sometimes 7.30pm). At first, I thought it was another typical Taiwanese show as the show’s host, a dynamic young man (I’m not too good with remembering Chinese names, so unfortunately I’ve forgotten his) speaks fluent Taiwanese sounding Mandarin. But then he spoke Malay to some of the people he was interacting with and it was then that I realized, he’s a Malaysian and the show was filmed at a Padi (I’m spelling it the old school way instead of paddy) field in Kedah.

A description of the show by Astro: Binding the elements of human affairs, occupations and achievement with food, discover the inter-relationships among food and the power it possesses to shape individual lives.

Unfortunately, I am unable to find out more information regarding the show, other than that.

What is good about this show is, it’s not about nonsense but about the real people, local culture, food and happenings in Malaysia. Not so common things that we as Malaysians may not even be aware of, happening in our own country. I think, essentially it’s a show about food, but not just how to cook and prepare the food, but where the food originates, the history of it, the lives of the people who took care of it and the entire process it goes thru until it ends up on the table at the end of the show.

I still remember vividly the first episode (which was about a month or so back?), the host was learning to catch eels in the (aforementioned) Padi field along with the owner of the field and his 10 year old son. I never knew that eels dug holes in the soil of the Padi fields and lived in there (what to say it occurred in Malaysia). And that people actually ‘fish’ these eels, and sell them to this guy who goes around everyone’s house to collect their catch and then sells it to a restaurant. Now, that’s what you call useful information! After seeing the first episode, I enjoyed myself so much as I thought this show has amazing potential, I made a point to watch it again but did not manage to do so until last Sunday (I do get up from the sofa and step out of the house occasionally).

The host himself adds to the appeal of the show, with his friendly and cheerful demeanour, lively chit chat and zeal for adventure, proving that he is game for anything, trying his hand at fishing eels, catching a deer, etc all the while running and panting breathlessly in the humid Malaysian weather. Not some dolled up city girl, spouting rehearsed lines in a short skirt and high heels, squeamish at the slightest thought of grass. The show also takes us away from the comfort and glamour of the more popular locations to farms, fields, villages, and other remote areas of Malaysia, that we don’t often see, and talk to the people that are expert at their crafts even though they may not wear a suit and tie. A quality and likeable show that I hope they continue to nurture.

Another relatively good show is Jalan-jalan Cari Makan, but then again I tend to like shows about food. The show introduces all the nice, new and interesting places to eat around Malaysia and a convenient feature is they put in the cost of some items on the menu so you can sort of gauge how much it will cost you.

So, TV3, stop feeding us nonsensical shows, but more down to earth and wholesome fares with real, likeable people.

All Time Favorites

2005-09-22T12:00:00.000+08:00

During the process of creating the blog, I came across some questions, one of them being favorite movies. So that got me thinking what my all time favorite movies are. This took a bit of thought because I can’t just choose ONE out of millions of movies out there (they have reached the millions right, movies?). So I thought I’d divide them into a few categories. To be appended over time as I think up new categories.

1. The most romantic scene in a movie for me is from The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) with Barbra streisand and Jeff Bridges in the ending scene, where he goes to look for her and they dance in the street at dawn. There’s just something about the earliest crack of dawn, the streets wet with morning dew, the gleaming skyscrapers warming up as the rays of the sun slowly envelopes it (makes you wanna run outside at dawn just to see what the fuss was about doesn’t it) and two people prancing about in the street. Probably reminds me of the times I was in the streets of Brisbane with the skyscrapers & cool morning air.

2. Couplings – c’mon most of the world’s population with a TV set would say Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks eh. I used to think they were such a cliché. But I’ve watched back their old movies, and I gotta say, cliché never looked so good together. I used to hate You’ve Got Mail (1998), I mean if that is not the most clichéd movie from beginning til end (count the number of times the word cliché has appeared on this paragraph), but watching the chemistry between them makes the movie enjoyable, makes me able to relax and take in the surroundings around them because they are so good, it feels effortless as they banter their way into each other. Now, You’ve Got Mail, has become one of my all time favorites. Another would be Sleepless in Seattle (1993), but that in itself was a good movie even though they did not end up sharing a lot of screen time compared to other movies. But individually they were splendid as well and it made me wanna move to Seattle - because of the amount of rain they get lah.

3. Favorite line in a movie – From Vanilla Sky(2001), what Penelope Cruz's character Sofia said to Tom Cruise's character, David, when she saw that Cameron Diaz's character, Julie, was eyeing him during his birthday bash. Sofia: I think she's the saddest girl to ever to hold a martini. The movie also has tons of other memorable lines. I like the movie for many other reasons as well (not least the plot), especially the relationship between David and Julie with Julie's obsession over him and David's relationship with Sofia, with David's obsession over her. Those complex relationships seemed to mirror a phase that we all went through one time or another in our life. Afraid of losing someone for whatever reason.

4. Best accent in a movie – had to belong to Kate Beckinsale in Van Helsing (2004). Man, she sounds so sexy and exotic in that accent amidst the curls and girdles. She should ALWAYS speak with that accent and move to Europe and be an aristocrat.

5. Best Feel Good Movie – My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997). Ahh watching this movie always makes me feel all warm and tingly and that all is right with the world. I don’t know what it is, could it be Julia Roberts being so clumsily loveable, Rupert Everett being so charmingly gay, Cameron Diaz still fresh as a daisy, Dermot Mulroney’s good looks, or just the idea of a wedding that may or may not happen. What I like best is the ending, where unlike other fairytale endings, the groom did not ditch his intended bride to run off with the love of his life, but married who he was supposed to marry. A more realistic ending, and a good one.

6. Best Hair in a movie - Amanda Byrnes in What a Girl Wants (2003) and for that matter, best wardrobe too. Those jeans and tops look awesome, but then again maybe it’s because she has a great body to carry it off. Oh the hair, the length, the texture, the shine, the color, the streaks, gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. It helps that the rest of the casts are as equally pleasing to the eyes, Kelly Preston (as her mom), Colin Firth (as her British dad) and Oliver James (as her boyfriend). Ok the storyline is fluff, but with so many gorgeous things to look at, who cares about the storyline. Hmm, come to think of it, great scenery, great soundtrack, great wardrobe, I might even think it’s a strong contender for best teen movie. But for variety’s sake, I’ll give it to…

7. Best Teen movie - Drive Me Crazy (1999) with Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) and Adrian Grenier. I’ve always liked Melissa Joan Hart, from her Sabrina days. I always thought she has a very earnest demeanor and wholesomeness about her. This movie has all the elements of a teen movie, with the requisite geek vs. cool people, a prom, wacky parents and two teens who thought they loathed each other but eventually end up falling for each other. Melissa also has great chemistry with her co star Adrian. Coming a close second would be Clueless (1995). I know it’s been a while since Clueless came out but I only saw it for the first time last year! Alicia Silverstone was so adorable in it with her pout and whine and Paul Rudd does a great job trying to be an older brother to her yet enamored by her youthful outlook on life. And who could believe that was Brittany Murphy before?

8. Best Action scene – I saw Bad Boys II (2003) when it first came out in the cinema, and the car chase scene blew me away. I don’t know if it was because of the big screen and surround sound system in the cinema but I thought that had to be the best car chase scene ever. Cars were being thrown left and right like they were made from cardboard. Michael Bay outdone himself this time.

9. Best soundtrack - This is a toughie because it can change from time to time. I mean there are so many sountracks out there and I guess it all depends on the movie. A movie that you connect with tends to evoke some feelings out of you if you were to hear the soundtrack. The first ever soundtrack that I got was Interview with a Vampire (1994), as I really liked the movie, and thus thought the soundtrack was evocative. Some of the compositions in that soundtrack are still used in many films today. However, I also quite enjoyed the soundtrack for Romeo + Juliet (1996) with Leonardo DiCaprio (in case there was any confusion) which I have recently started re-listening to. The movie was enjoyable but I like the soundtrack for its contemporary sound and bass percussions. So I would say that soundtrack is still an all time favorite.

10. Most unexpected twist in a movie – Being the adept viewer (heh) that I am, rarely does something surprise me as some movies are so predictable, everyone can guess the ending 5 minutes into the movie. However, I think 3 movies come to mind for unforeseeable twist.
The Sixth Sense (1999), with Bruce Willis, The Others (2001) with Nicole Kidman and The Usual Suspects (1995) with Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Spacey and a whole host of talented people. Both The Sixth Sense and The Others left me in chills even months after I’ve seen the movie. I can’t really recall the plot for The Usual Suspects now but I recall being totally stumped speechless by it. So I’m gonna go get the DVD to watch again. It was one of the all time greats.

Hmm I've just noticed that most of the movies I picked are from the 90s and 2000s. So I think that warrants another category, Best 80s movie? I'm a huge fan of the 80s, movies and music. Ok, they do have dodgy hairdos, makeup and wardrobe, but i feel the storylines for the movies had more substance. They seem to pack more elements into an 80s movie than the a movie of the 90s or 2000s. Just take a look at Adventures in Babysitting (1987) with Elizabeth Shue, they managed to squeeze so many events and occurences in there, I don't know how they got it to fit it under 2 hours.

One of the movies of the 80s that I quite like is Working Girl (1988) with Melanie Griffith, Harisson Ford and Sigourney Weaver. I can see myself as Melanie Griffith when I started my first job. Young, naive, begging to be taken seriously, and up against a tyrant boss. Ok, the hair was hideous, and shoulder pads were the rage, but seeing the boss from hell getting her comeuppance in the end was totally satisfying. I’m sure we’ve all had an urge to strangle our boss at one time or another but rarely do the little people get to triumph (in real life, that is).

Ok, I also realised, my choices do not contain any critical classics from the 50s, 60s, 70s, or the other preceeding decades, such as Gone With The Wind (1939), Casablanca (1942), or any Audrey Hepburn or Elizabeth Taylor classics. Simply because I've never seen these movies and I did not have much interest in them when I was younger. But I think my interest in them has increased over the years, more like curiousity, to know what all the fuss is about. But too much has already been said about the classics.

Stealthy

2005-09-21T12:23:00.000+08:00

I saw Stealth about 2 or 3 weeks ago and the reason I wanted to start a blog was to write about it (to get it out of my system, so to speak), so it’s pretty ironic that only now I managed to write about it.

I know that Stealth has been getting a lot of flack, I mean just seeing the trailers and knowing the basic plot, everyone can pretty much guess how the story’s gonna turn out. People who go see it will probably aim for one of two things, the action or Jessica Biel’s cleavage. So, needless to say, I wasn’t about to pay $8 to go see it in the cinema. However, this kind of movie is right up Doobert’s alley. Since he’s been quite busy, we managed to get away from going to the cinema but we got the DVD instead.

I watched with much apprehension but I gotta say, it wasn’t as bad as everyone said it was at all. And that’s the reason I wanted to start the blog, to tell people that Stealth is quite good. In fact the filmmakers did a good job in making me care about the characters in the short time that I’ve known them, and apart from being very likeable, Biel and Josh Lucas have tremendous chemistry. I would like to see them sharing more screentime in future projects.

I’ve seen Josh Lucas in many movies (most notably, The Hulk, Sweet Home Alabama) and yet I don’t know his name til now, and I don’t know any information about him (I even thought he was Australian after seeing him in the low budgeted When Strangers Appear aka The Shearer’s Breakfast (2001) with Radha Mitchell. Incidentally my favorite scene in the movie was when Radha’s character was cooking breakfast in the diner and she cracks the eggs and flungs them across the grill like a professional waitress/chef). Anyway, Josh wasn’t always agreeable, playing mostly villains or other unsavoury characters (that I can recall), so casting him here as the main player alongside the more high profiled Jamie Foxx as the sidekick shows that maybe he’s finally getting the recognition he deserved.

Another reason why I know so little about him is because being a character actor, he manages to slip into the roles he’s playing, and does it so well, I don’t recall seeing the same him appearing over and over in different movies. Everytime I see him, he looks fresh and feels like a new person. Ie. When I see Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds or Vanilla Sky, I’m aware that I’m watching Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise although in different movies.

"I just feel like I really want to be someone who literally disappears in the role. My goal is to always have the ability at hand where I can be really good, as opposed to, eh, that's Josh Lucas." Interview with Steve Head, September 24, 2002. And he manages to do exactly that.

The plot of Stealth is no rocket science (more like fighter jet science), pretty basic, man builds intelligent machine to be better than man, machine discovers it IS better than man, machine gets own mind, man wants it destroyed. But in Stealth, machine also manages to redeem itself. So I was pleasantly surprised that it is not purely about a machine gone bad and everyone banning together to destroy it, but also realizing that it can feel compassion to repent and trusting it to do what is right. So really, the plot is saved from being a one dimensional one. Sure there are other loopholes but show me a film with no loopholes and I’ll show you J.Lo’s Oscar.

I also feel that having Biel crashing in hostile territory in North Korea was a good touch to add depth to the movie and that actually provided a level of suspense -- to see if she would survive or is she as dispensable -- before getting a shot at a romance with Josh’s character.

Many have criticized the bad acting in Stealth but I feel that the acting was actually quite good under the circumstances, especially coming from Josh, Biel and needless to say Foxx. In fact, I wouldn’t mind watching it again when HBO airs it.

Friday and we’re almost home, baby.

2005-09-20T16:22:00.000+08:00

Ah Friday, the day the whole working force is glad to see. However, the TV listing leaves a lot to be desired.

8pm TNA Wrestling – I think professional wrestlers are like Santa Clause, they don’t really exist, except in the movies, or people dressing up as Santa during Christmas. So essentially a wrestler is just an actor who puts on his costume, memorize a few lines, go out there and put on a show. So TNA Wrestling is essentially an adrenaline filled soap opera for men (and women because Bulert and a woman colleague of mine are enthusiasts). I mean they really do get creative with the storylines, it’s not just about men pounding each other in, they throw in a few dramas, romance and comedy as well. Have to give it to the commentators to come up with so many ways to describe a flip and act surprised at every twists and turns. That being said, I’m not sure I get the whole hoo-ha.

9pm The Collector – When I saw the trailers being aired to promote this series, I was vaguely intrigued. But after watching the first episode though, realized that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Anyway, this guy, Morgan Pym (Pym?!) works for the devil collecting souls of people that have made deals with the devil in order to gain whatever it is that they gained. All this because he himself made a deal with the devil many eons ago when he was a friar/monk in some monastery and when the fell for this girl and wanted to be with her (although being a friar/monk and all, he can’t) and somehow she died (I forgot why, or is it because I don’t care), the devil got his soul and now he’s the devil’s lap dog.

So Pym runs around collecting and in the process trying to save the souls of these people by getting them to repent (I don’t know the details of how all this works because obviously I gave up after the first episode). Sometimes you just know whether a series is going to end up as part of your staple diet from the very first episode and I just don’t think I wanna choke on this one. First of all, it’s headed by a relative unknown, Chris Kramer, who looks good and all but somehow lacks the charisma and likeability that instantly attracts audiences to him. Like when David Boreanaz first appeared in Buffy, he already exudes the magnetism that suggests it just isn’t enough for him to be a side player in a series and that he should be heading a series of his own. Yeah, I know please ignore the Buffy analogy, it’s not its fault that it was the best series on TV. It also doesn’t help that the other casts in The Collector are also unknowns and uncharismatically dull, not to mention lacking in the looks department.

In the first episode, Pym tries to save this rapper, who doesn’t even wanna be saved and is so arrogant, I would condemn him to hell in a second and save that saving for some other deserving soul. Pym also somehow rescues and forms a relationship with a drug addict, who resembles, to a tee, his dead lover centuries ago and tries to get her off the streets. In the midst of all this chaos, is this reporter who, somehow is onto our guy and wants to know his life story or she’ll blow his secret sky high. I don’t know if this series is still on going as some episodes in season 3 have not been aired and future air dates are yet to be announced. This could be a good thing.

10pm Angel – Currently airing the 5th and Final Season, it makes me feel as if I should savour every moment, knowing that there will be no more. Watched a particularly good episode last week, (it was called the best episode of the entire season by the fans, and I have to agree even though I haven’t seen the whole season) with special guest star Charisma Carpenter returning in this episode as Cordelia Chase only to have her character killed off for good. That particular episode, reminded me all that was good and brilliant about the series (and that of Buffy) with the fun banter, witty comebacks (Angel to Harmony: If she moves, eat her. Harmony: Really? Cool!) Also a sad moment for Angel, as Cordy finally passed on after being in the coma for a year and he never had a chance to have a real relationship with her (phew!). I heard that David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter both shed real tears in that scene.

I often wondered how a bubble-headed, self-centered cheerleader like Cordy could morph into an altruistic heroine and Angel’s 2nd love (after Buffy). I thought all people like that ultimately ended up in a lawfirm. I mean this was the girl whose mission in life was shopping. Oh well, now Cordy can shop to her heart’s content in the big mall in the sky.

11.30pm Karen Sisco – A re-run, as this series was already aired by StarWorld a year or so back, and I don’t know why they decided to air this to fill up the 11.30 time slot because this timeslot is normally used to air the repeats of the 8pm slot, in this case TNA Wrestling. Karen Sisco is the series based on J.Lo’s character in Out of Sight. Took me a while to recall that movie (heh, like it was so memorable) and I even mistook it for another movie, until I recalled it was the one with her and George Clooney. I think. I don’t particularly remember if J.Lo’s character in the movie was called Karen Sisco.

Anyway, in the series Karen Sisco is a Marshall and because her character in the movie fell for George Clooney’s (who happened to be the bad guy), in the series they portrayed Karen as having a penchant for bad boys that she knows she is supposed to arrest, but can’t help falling for. I’ve always liked Carla Gugino and remembered that the first time I saw her as Sydney in a Falcon Crest rerun circa 1994, I had hoped to see more of her again in the future. Carla is good in any roles she undertakes but let’s be honest, there really isn’t much to work with here. Bill Duke who plays her boss is absolutely abyssimal. He only has one expression which he uses to convey, urm, authority? But only seems to make him look constipated most of the time. He tries to talk with a scowl (because being authoritative involves scowling) by stiffing all the muscles on his face and moving only his lips. For that matter, he stiffened his entire body and neck as well and really the only thing moving are, literally, his lips. Pathetic. Good thing they put the show out of its misery after season 1. Just waiting to see Carla bounce back in a new series.

Dream a little dream

2005-09-19T15:06:00.000+08:00

I have an embarrassing confession to make. On Sunday, I went to watch a movie. It has been a while since I saw a new movie and I was thinking that I could at least put in some effort in watching some new movies in order to blog about it rather than blogging about old movies I’ve seen on HBO. So with Doobert in tow, I went in search of something to watch, proud that I would have a new movie to write a review about. I saw that a 3D movie was being shown in conjunction with the current school holidays for half price. Oooo the novelty of watching a 3D movie attracted me and reminded me of my pleasant experience of watching a 3D Looney Toons short film in Warner Bros’ MovieWorld (Gold Coast). Plus the fact that Doobert has never seen a 3D movie, we got our tickets for – The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

The lady at the counter said, “For the two of you?”, and I said yes, without suspecting why. Then as she handed us our 3D glasses I said, “So, is everyone gonna be wearing these?” she said yes. “So, we’re not gonna be the only people looking silly huh.”

Alright, to be honest, I HAVE heard of the movie, when we saw the trailer for it while watching another movie quite some time ago. At the time I remember thinking, it wasn’t so bad, what with all the superhero movie craze going around at the time. But now I know why the counter lady sounded funny, why the cinema was half empty and why there were mostly kids. The movie is essentially targeted at kids. Duh. I thought I’d go for the spectacular effects I remember seeing in the trailer. What spectacular effects? I must be getting senile.

I’m trying really hard to find some salvaging points here. The story was essentially too childish (what else did I expect eh), about dreams, keep dreaming, don’t let your dreams die, don’t stop believing in your dreams, eventhough someone crushed your dreams once, it doesn’t mean you have to crush their dreams back. I think I heard the word dream repeated so many times, it actually lost its meaning. uh huh, dreams means nothing to me now, zilch. I might as well be drinking a dream, or washing the dishes with a dream. All the same to me.

Imagine my surprise to see Kristin Davis (Charlotte in SATC) and David Arquette (Mr. Courteney Cox) as the parents. For their part, they were excellent in their brief appearances, though it still leaves me wondering why.

A comment from a reviewer in IMDB : Even my kids hated this atrocity.

Gee, why didn’t I have the sense to read the reviews first huh. I tried desperately to like it, and at times the story wasn’t all that bad and it even has some funny parts but err who am I kidding. It sucked, ok. Despite its good intentions. At least it didn’t last very long (93 mins).

Minced Thursday

2005-09-18T23:10:00.000+08:00

Thursday is a minced meat loaf. The recent schedule had just been rearranged as some series have ended their season and thus a new lineup was devised. Well at least the sitcoms here live up to their category.

8pm Scrubs - Can best be described as a combination of a less annoying Ally McBeal and a grown-up version of Malcom in the Middle. One of the shows that actually made me laught out loud, again and again, so understandably it was one of the best rated series around. I mean, who would have thought of a medical sitcom? Currently StarWorld had just started airing Season 1 but the series is currently in Season 4 and going strong. Zach Braff (Bey has a crush on him and thinks he’s gorgeous) is hilarious, and reminds me of David Duchovny’s deadpan humour. And just like Duchovny, Braff is not just another pretty face, as he has also written and starred in the movie Garden State (with Natalie Portman jumping enthusiastically on board) along with his blog, no doubt used to promote the official site of the movie as Duchovy’s House of D’s website cum blog. Bey, in case you’re interested in Zach’s blog, it’s http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/gardenstate/blog/

8.30pm 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter – Which is a new sitcom that just started airing the pilot this week, which I happened to catch. Starring the late John Ritter as the overprotective dad to 2 teenage daughters and a younger son. It’s a little early to tell, but the first episode was not bad at all and, perhaps with John Ritter, was even funny. But since Ritter’s death, I was wondering who they would rope in to fill his oversized shoes, and just found out on the site that it’s David Spade, which I do like.

9pm INXS – Results night, where just like American Idol, a contestant is voted off the show. And yeah Bulert, Suzie was voted off this week.

9.30pm Less Than Perfect – Same as 8 Simple Rules, this sitcom premiered it’s first episode this week, but unlike 8 Simple Rules, I did not manage to catch it. Although in the trailer I did see Dick, Andy Dick that is. Others I did notice were Andrea Parker, formerly of The Pretender and Eric Roberts formerly of music videos. These 3 veterans are reason enough to put the sitcom on the map. Trust the network to know how to market a sitcom with newbies such as Sara Rue and Zachary Levi (who?). They must really want it to succeed, and succeed it did, as it’s currently in season 3 and going strong. About time we get to see Eric Roberts on a regular basis. I hope he gets to torture people.

10pm The Apprentice – Currently showing Season 3, with the Booksmarts vs. the Streetsmarts. I started off absolutely adoring the Apprentice. It was the only reality series that I would watch. That was season 1, where they had talented and memorable people with a heart, like Troy, Amy, Nick, Bill, Kwame, Sam, Katrina, Heidi, and even Omarosa (not the heart part for her though). When the series ended, I felt like I had made lifelong friends and learnt lifelong lessons from them, not unlike the feeling of having attended a fast track university course. I even emailed Troy and Amy and both replied me personally.

In season 1, even though they did not have the luxury of waltzing into the offices of giant corporations with established brand names for their tasks, they made the best of what they were given and turned each tasks into the most creative ideas. Then that damned Mark Burnett got greedy, saw the potential in the conflict between the other contestants and Omarosa and decided that people only live for these moments. Thus the following season 2 and 3’s air time were filled with such bickering conflicts. The contestants were no longer likeable, what to say memorable. I no longer feel like I’m going to class to learn something from friends, but witnessing a classroom brawl in the 5th grade between people I couldn’t care less about.

I watched only on and off for season 2 and 3, and that was because I wanted to learn some entrepreneurial skills. But found the whole show to be too stressing after a while, so I stopped. As their tasks got glossier, compared to selling lemonade on the streets in season 1, the contestants got bitchier. I especially hate Chris (3rd Season) from Las Vegas, who bitches endlessly and thinks that talking loudly means you automatically win whatever it is you’re arguing. What a biaatch. But Martha Stewart’s spin on the franchise will be coming out soon and I hope that holds more promise.

Sabrina

2005-09-17T18:31:00.000+08:00

Saw the movie Sabrina on HBO last night. Before any misunderstandings arise, it’s the 1995 version starring Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond and Greg Kinnear, which happened to be a remake of the 1954 film of the same name starring Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn (which I had never seen). So I’m not going to do a comparison between the two.

I’ve always been a fan of Julia Ormond but I realized I can only recall 3 of her movies. Legends of the fall, First Knight and Sabrina. Legends of the fall where she came between 3 brothers, Sabrina in which she came between 2 brothers and in First Knight where she came between 2 brothers in arms, so to speak. Hmm. All 3 movies were shown repeatedly on HBO and I’ve re-watched Legends of the Fall and more recently, First Knight. Legends is always too painful to watch so I think I’ve fulfilled my quota of it for this year.

Having seen the previous two movies and after re-watching Sabrina last night (I caught the 1995 one when it first came out) I can safely conclude that Julia Ormond has the same opened mouthed, hesitant pained expression in all three movies, where she either has to make a painful decision between her suitors, or a painful decision on whether to stay or leave. Beautiful as it is to see, but maybe the reason for her short career. By the way, I recently saw that she was also in the HBO produced Iron Jawed Angels with Hillary Swank.

After watching Sabrina last night, it has totally changed my feelings towards it when I first watched it back in the 90s. In my mind, it had been a gem, one of the most romantic movies with a lot of witty conversations (not just wham bam means to an end). But after last night, I felt the dialog, although witty at times, were too corny to be effective, each scene in the movie too long and drawn out, and the pairing of Ford and Ormond to be a bit awkward and stiff at times. Perhaps Ford being too old had something to do with it, all these which I had been willing to overlook back then but seemed unforgivable now. If memory serves me right, the movie didn’t do too well back then either. I just felt more uncomfortable and fidgety during the whole movie, which at 127 minutes felt like 3 hours and is way too long for a romantic film.

The movie was also filled with too many irrelevant references. And it didn't help that each of the characters kept having to repeat what the other had said, ie Ford's character saying to Ormond's that she had once said blah blah, Ormond's lamenting that it has once been said that blah blah. I heard the corny dialog the first time round, do I really need to hear it repeated again?

Wednesday Smenesday

2005-09-16T11:50:00.000+08:00

I had a feeling that Wednesday night TV is going to be quite dull because I can barely recall what the program lineup is. I had to physically switch on the TV to check the program listing and saw that One Tree Hill, INXS and The Practice were being served up. Hmm, funny, yesterday I saw them pushing a last minute advertisement for The Practice looking suspiciously like the re-run of the 8th season, and it appeared straight away on tonight’s lineup. And I’m quite sure I didn’t see The Practice last week.

Since I didn’t have much hope for Wednesday, I can’t even recall what The Practice was replacing. After much searching, I finally found out that it was JAG which had just finished the run of its 8th season last week. So instead of airing a new series, they’ve decided to show re-runs of The Practice. I think no one over in StarWorld was keeping tabs on JAG either so they were kinda caught off guard and grabbed the nearest re-run.

8pm One Tree Hill – I first heard of this series when I first heard of Chad Michael Murray when he was starring in teen movies Freaky Friday with teen queen Lindsay Lohan and A Cinderella Story with said teen queen’s rival, Hillary Duff. When I first saw him, I thought who was this punk appearing in 2 highly profiled teen movies with 2 highly profiled teen queens and yet I know nothing about him. He could be the next big thing. So a quick search in IMDB made me realized that he was not only younger than me, way younger, but is already starring in a series called One Tree Hill with his real life girlfriend/fiancee Sophia Bush.

I also heard that the series was highly rated and one of the best new teen drama on TV. So it’s a good thing I didn’t have to wait long for the series to arrive. To be honest, I caught the series at the beginning of season 2 on another channel quite by accident and got hooked on it right away despite not knowing the history behind the characters. Curiosity thus prompted me to watch season 1 when StarWorld started airing it. But is it just me or is season 1 really boring. I mean I raved to Bey about picking up season 2 but find myself unable to go backwards to watch season 1 to get up to speed. So I concluded that the series only started to pick up after the end of the first season, which is normally used to lay the foundation of the characters anyway.

A new twist on the family concept with half brothers Lucas and Nathan sharing the same dad and born only months apart. From skimming through season 1 I found out that was because their dad, Dan, skipped out on Lucas’ mom when he heard that she was pregnant while they were finishing up highschool but hooked up with Nathan’s mom after graduation and the overachiever that he is, knocked her up too. So 18 years later, out pops Lucas and Nathan, competing, fighting, bonding, brothering.

I guess it can be compared to Beverly Hills 90210 except the only bitch here is Dan because everyone else seems to be too darn nice. I mean even when they hurt each other, they forgive graciously instead of exacting revenge (except Dan, of course, bless his little evil heart). So everyone pretty much tries to deal with their lives and feelings for each other, while fighting off Dan’s latest scheme. Season 2 added 2 newcomers in the form of Felix and his sister Anna, which suitably spiced up the life of our Tree Hillers who have pretty much settled in nicely with each other. I was telling Bulert that you have to wanna care about the characters to give a damn about what happens to them and thus continue to watch. Because she did say that it seemed pretty boring to her, not being the sofa spud that she is.

So I told her that watching one or two complete episodes might give her enough time to wanna care and know what will happen to the characters. I would suggest an episode or two of season 2, either the premiering episode or the one after. The series’ success, like many, relies heavily on its casts, which thankfully is brilliant. Could do with a bitchier script though and some conflicts because everything seems to flow too well and gets resolved too quickly.

Now I’m wondering, why we don’t get to see anyone else’s parents except Lucas’ and Nathan’s and why does everyone’s bedroom have a separate door that leads directly into it from the outside instead of going into the main house, passing by the living room or up the stairs? It’s as if each of the kids in Tree Hill has their own house, consisting mainly of their bedroom and attached bathroom. Is there a story behind that or is it just for the sake of convenience or so we don’t have to run into their fictitious parents?

9pm INXS – I can’t remember what was there before INXS and maybe one of these days I’ll go dig up an old newspaper and find out. Basically INXS is a rocked out version of American Idol, with established singers instead of amateur wannabes. So it’s actually a more quality show with quality performances, more upbeat and interesting song and no lame Ryan Seacrest anecdotes. Incidentally, I thought the 4th season of American Idol had the most boring theme every week! Whoever came up with it should be given a good spanking by Simon and told that he should never show his sorry face in tinseltown again. Also they had the most boring bunch of female contestants too. Totally forgettable, then again the unforgettable ones can’t even sing (ie Mikayla, who by the way could always do voiceovers for Fran Drescher if she ever gets out a new series again).

Oh getting back to INXS, the band is looking for a lead singer to front it and replace Michael Hutchence. Helloo, didn’t Michael Hutchence died like a decade ago (ok, it was 22 Nov 1997, which I just realized is also Lubert’s birthday) and only now they’re looking for his replacement? Did the band not realize he was dead and only discovered that fact recently? The lads: Hey, where’s Michael, haven’t seen him mucking about for a while. But then again, INXS is like so over, so this may be their ploy to edge a toe thru the comeback door.

At the moment they’re left with 4 contestants, 3 males, Marty, Mick, J.D. and 1 female, Suzie. On Thursday they will kick one of those 4 out. I personally liked Marty because he looks and sounds good. J.D.’s promising with his out there style but he’s prone to overdoing it, and I don’t think he has the discipline to really want it badly enough (ironically, all the characteristics of a typical real life rockstar). Mick looks like an aged rocker (which should fit in well with the aged INXS) or that guy who played the Green Goblin, Willem Dafoe, in Spiderman. Suzie is inconsistent and too nerve wrecked to be a rocker. And she doesn’t look edgy, rocker chick hot.

10pm The Practice – Re-runs of season 8 which I only watched on and off when they showed it the first time because the lawfirm of Donnell, Young, Dole & Frutt has now become Young & Frutt after Bobby Donnell (Dylan McDermott) and wife Lindsay Dole (Kelli Williams) left the firm along with a few other regulars, Rebecca Washington, Lucy Hatcher, and especially A.D.A Helen Gamble. It was rumoured that due to budget cuts, David E. Kelley (aka Mr. Michelle Pfeiffer) decided that his main casts, which made the series one of the best legal drama on TV, should be fired because they also eat up the bulk of the profits. Now, if only that had happened on the set of Friends.

So this means, all the good people are gone and we’re left with the boring and annoying ones like Eleanor Frutt (annoying), Eugene Young (annoying), Jimmy Berluti (boring AND annoying) and a new cast of James Spader (what happened to his B-grade movie career), Jessica Capshaw (only found out not so long ago that she was the daughter of Kate Capshaw aka Mrs. Steven Spielberg) and Rhona Mitra (whose father is a plastic surgeon by the way).

Spader was probably brought in to replace McDermott as the main male cast thus they wasted no time in making him despicable and insufferable yet not forgetting the requisite shred of humanity that makes viewers reasoned that he’s not a bad person, it’s the system that’s bad. But I don’t care how good (or bad, in this case) he is, he’s no Bobby Donnell and it just doesn’t work. Capshaw, probably because they needed a hot looking blonde to up the sexual appeal of the show, what with Camryn Manheim showering most of the responsibilities. And Rhona Mitra, more eye candy although I don’t mind her at all, in fact I rather enjoyed watching her, same like how I enjoyed watching the ever shrinking Lara Flynn Boyle as Helen Gamble. Why did it take so long for Mitra to break into mainstream Hollywood, the woman should have a shrine and army of worshippers at her feet.

With the old cast, the show had a warm feel. With the new one, it just feels cold and devoid. It’s as if with the new cast, the writers/producers wanted to see how far they can push the envelope over the edge and every case and character seemed over the top. The casting change happened in Season 8 and I believe, since there has never been such a drastic change of cast in a series, it was subsequently renamed to Boston Legal. If Spader toned it down a few notches and with the addition of William Shatner and Rhona Mitra maintained, I might give this a shot because I could always use a dose of legal drama in my otherwise saturated diet.

Tuesday, time to play

2005-09-14T14:32:00.000+08:00

On the way to work this morning I heard a song on the car radio and thought it sounded like a soundtrack to a movie but just for the life of me cannot recall the movie although I knew it was something wildly commercial. Well, I WAS trying to maneuver my vehicle in the heavy rain, keeping in mind that I overslept and was squinting to see thru the raindrops pelting my windscreen.

I frantically searched my barely there brain for what movie it was, but failed miserably and concluded that I was not as agile as I once was. Ah to be young again. But age comes with experience and experience has taught me that you can google anything on the net. So I got to the office, and my first order of business was to google the song and while that information was popping up, I recalled the movie, Charlie’s Angels 2, the song was A Girl Like You (by Edwyn Collins), which reminded me of that weird guy with the slick eyebrows obsessed with Drew Barrymore’s character’s hair. And that psycho ex-boyfriend of Drew’s character with the twisted Irish accent and an even more twisted demeanour. Chills.

Speaking of which, that was not a bad movie at all, albeit totally ridiculous in its attempts at logic. But still, excellent entertainment value and may I say Demi Moore has never looked so good as she did in that movie. If I was Bruce Willis, I’d punch my macho self with my muscular arms for letting that woman go to that punk’d kid Ashton.

On to Tuesday’s TV lineup which looks more promising than Monday’s. I don’t know what StarWorld’s theme for Tuesday is supposed to be with the current lineup (yeah, I always assumed they work on a theme). We have Ed, a light hearted lawyer series, Desperate Housewives, a sizzling mystery cum dark comedy and Tru Calling, a supernatural drama. I’m still trying to come up with a link between the three. Lawyer, housewives, morgue…hmm….

8pm Ed – alrite then, lawyer series have been done to death and is always a staple in every couch potato’s diet, but let’s try a variation on that theme and throw in a bowling alley. And suddenly things look brand new, NOT. Ed, cheated on by his wife with a mailman, no less, moves back to his hometown of tiny Stuckeyville (can’t they even come up with a more appealing name? Oh, there IS a real town named Stuckeyville? Ok, I apologize dear Stuckeyvillers, it’s uh, actually quite uh, charming). And rationally one would think, Ed being a lawyer and all would sue the pants off his wife (oh pun totally intended), use the settlement to buy himself a spanking new sports car to pick up a hot chick and ride off into the sunset. But then again, that would be the end of the show.

I did watch the pilot of the series and almost a whole first season, thanks to Doobert, who surprisingly enjoyed watching the show. And I think it’s because he likes to see the betting game between Ed and Mike -- where Mike would say, Ed, 10 bucks says you ask for the specials as a leprechaun -- which I think reminds him of his glory days with his buddies. Awww.

And it was not half bad, Ed is sorta likeable at first, but I think the charm of the show lies in Carol Vessey (played by Julie Bowen), Ed’s high school crush and new target. So what I don’t get is halfway through the series they introduces another lawyer, Bonnie that Ed falls for and starts a relationship with, which I’m sure is just to prolong the tango between Ed and Carol who will eventually realize she has feelings for him somewhere towards the end.

And why does Ed and Mike talk like that, like they have a frog stuck in the throat or you know, like Bob Saget in (once upon a faraway land) America’s Funniest Home Videos when he’s trying not to laugh as he introduces a video. Are they trying hard not to laugh at the cheesy lines they have to spit out day in and day out?

Currently showing the 3rd season, I think. And it only took 4 seasons for Ed and Carol to get together. Well, at least it was the ending that everyone had hoped for though the journey to get there was not always pleasant. What’s next, ballet school lawyers?

9pm Desperate Housewives – Oprah’s favorite show because that woman cannot get out a sentence without mentioning it. Which is just as well because Eva Longoria cannot get out a sentence without mentioning the Oprah Show. So all the hype surrounding that show even before it reached our shores, made me feel that I should really strap myself to the sofa. Well, it’s sort of a drummed down housewife version of Sex and the City. With a little mystery added in for good measure, in case people didn’t like the other parts the show had to offer.

Like what Oprah said, which street in a suburb can you find so many gorgeous housewives without an ass. So, the ladies are gorgeous, the men are delectable, the kids are adorable, the script is compact, Oprah’s a huge fan, the perfect recipe for guaranteeing a long shelf life. In fact, I'm sure Oprah would happily fund it out of her own pocket (because she jolly well can afford it) if the series didn't make it, so that she can keep making guest appearances and smooch everyone. Currently airing season 1 as I believe season 2 is still in production. I’ve been following it but Bey’s just never caught on to it because she missed the first few episodes and thought there wasn’t any point to go on from there. Bulert on the other hand, seemed to have given up on it because of the uncontrollable snipping by the overzealous Censorship Board. It’s cable for goodness’ sake, why do they bother to censor it still? So I guess it’s my civic duty to represent the masses, I shall prevail.

So my favorite housewife would be Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), simply because she is what I imagined I would be like somewhere down the road and also she seemed the most cynical and no-nonsense of the bunch. And those Scavo twins are absolutely adorable, no? (me: yes they are).

And that Mike Delfino (James Denton), I first noticed him as the judge who fell for Kim Delaney’s alter ego, lawyer Kathleen Maguire in Philly. Even Doobert agreed he was hot then. So it’s good to see that he has landed himself this plump role after the failure of Philly. Although I’ve always preferred him in a suit like in Philly instead of the plumber gear he has now. Incidentally, I like all of Philly’s main characters and individually they are remarkable and each brings an insurmountable amount of talent to the table, so why did the show fail? Rantings for another time and place.

10pm Tru Calling – Refer to previous post. Saw last night’s episode and Bulert was saying the show was getting predictable as she was able to guess who the shooter was even before they revealed it. Well, I wasn’t. Maybe I’m just desperate to give Tru a chance. Or maybe I’m that daft. I told Bulert that there are only so many ways they can make a body call out for help without us expecting it to already. And since we also know that there is always a twist towards the end, we’ve come to expect that things are never that straight forward as Tru led us to believe thus eliminating a lot of possibilities until the last moment. Yeah, desperately trying to give it a chance aren’t I?

Monday Blues

2005-09-13T14:05:00.000+08:00

Honestly, I don't know what is StarWorld's system for changing the program lineup, either quarterly, 6 monthly or annually, or seasonally depending on each series. I used to have a good grip on this and they used to be quite consistent in placing the same returning programs in the same lineup but now they've just messed up my system by placing the returning programs not in their previously allocated timeslot but into a new timeslot and dayslot. eg. Angel used to be on every Thursday at 10pm (4th season), I've got that slot down as my Buffy (8pm) - Angel vampires night.

Now the 5th season of Angel returns after a hiatus to the Friday 10pm slot. Ok, so now there's something to look forward to on Fridays instead of the boring rejects like Wrestling (uh-oh, Bulert you still into wrestling? Wake up and smell the sweat pants.) or worst some Stupid Stunts by Stupid People, or When Animals Attack, or When Mother Nature Attacks or When Humans Get Attacked by Furry Animals or I Dare You to be Stupid, but still why did they have to screw with the lineup.

Charmed used to be on Thursday 8pm then moved to Wednesday then to Tuesday then back to Wednesday (now it's on hiatus awaiting the new season I imagine). Sometimes I turn on the TV expecting a program and then a totally different one comes on and I realised I'm still with the old programming. Once in a while they do reshuffle the entire schedule and come up with an entire new lineup. They like to keep us on our toes, bless their soul.

So the program lineup for now (I almost have it down pat) :

Monday
Monday, they decided, should be comedy's night. Although I see nothing to laugh about at all with the pathetic lineup of so called 'comedy'.

8pm Married to the Kellys - Which is half decent, being that it’s only in its first season (Last night was the 3rd episode). But only cuz they have Breckin Meyer heading the cast of retards. Kiele Sanchez who plays his wife (she must have been chosen cuz she is the only woman in the whole world who is actually tinier than Breckin) is bearable and not over the top. But the rest of the cast seems to be the castoffs from other series.

The basic story has Breckin and Kiele moving back to Kiele’s hometown (some rural redneck area, I’m led to conclude) after having lived in NY most of his life. Breckin is an only child and has to get used to having a big family now. This so called BIG family includes Kiele’s parents, a brother, a sister and a brother-in-law and an uncle. Hello, they should come to Malaysia or Brunei and see what a BIG family is like. Just take a look at Doobert who has 11 siblings, 7 siblings-in-law, 9 nephews, a gazillion cousins, Breckin my man, you don’t know how good you got it. The jokes are lame and some are just awkward, is Lewis supposed to be a retard? Mentally slow? Or normal in that part of the country? Is the bro-in-law deliberately tall to mock Breckin’s size or is that unintentional? Last I heard, Season one and continuing.

8.30pm Still Standing – which happens to have Mark Addy in the title role as Bill, the father, and Jami Gertz as the mother. Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought Mark Addy was British? He does cop a convincing American accent but it’s just weird when you see British actors playing the role of the typical dad in the typical American family. Just like Alfred Molina in Ladies Man (currently airing on Hallmark), playing the typical American husband living amidst an all women household. Maybe it’s just me but I can’t buy into that whole British playing typical Americans in an American sitcom idea. And besides, one really can’t help but ask the question, why are Mark Addy and Alfred Molina wasting their talents on second rate American sitcoms like these? But then again, Mark Addy was Fred Flintstone once upon a time.

I think currently the 2nd season is airing. I don’t really follow it. Last I heard, Season 4 and continuing. Joke excerpt: Lauren: Dad, I need some help with my homework.Bill: Yeah, I know, I've seen your grades.

9pm Yes Dear – another lameass excuse for a sitcom. This show must have the worst looking bunch of unknown ragamuffins working for peanuts. Last I heard, apparently season 6 and still continuing. And they cancelled Angel after 5 seasons?! What is the rationale behind all of this? Maybe because they’re cheap labour. Damn you, cheapskate network.

I would like to criticize more but is there a point? Oh well, I’ll make it simple, Greg is a sissy who is afraid of or allergic to everything. Kim , his wife, I don’t know what she does, but I don’t know how she puts up with him. Christine which is either Greg’s or Kim’s sister is too fat (to be on TV) thus is not given a decent wardrobe other than checkered shirts n jeans (or could be the network is that cheap), and thinks her hands off approach to rearing kids is actually a talent to be proud of. Christine's husband, Jimmy, is a slob and also has limited wardrobe option, fails at everything he does or doesn't do. The kids, those poor kids, should sue their parents when they come of age to let them be involved in this whole mess. Currently in season I-don’t-give-a-damn-to-care.

9.30pm Becker – hmm, why not cast the smart mouthed Casanova bartender Sam Malone of Cheers as an old grumpy doctor who chain smokes and yells at everyone for no reason. Gee, what a brilliant idea, why didn’t I think of that?! Season 6 and on going. Why oh why?!

What is so funny about a grumpy old Ted Danson’s narcissistic yelling and fussing over things that only annoys him and not us? He finds everything and everyone around him annoying and the only thing I find annoying is him. I wonder why patients still queue up to see him cuz obviously he’s not the most pleasant doctor you’d like to expose yourself to. Excerpt: Becker: Where’s my coffee? BARK BARK BARK. Oh am I being a jerk again cuz that’s just me and I love the sound of my voice so much so I’ll just BARK BARK BARK BARK.

And what on earth is the purpose of casting a black AND blind man? So that the scriptwriters have more room to add lame blind and black jokes?

10pm Wonderfalls – Saw the pilot and thought this was a promising series. But its ultimate downfall would be casting an unknown to carry such a heavy theme to make it believable. So it only lasted 1 season. Perhaps it was for the best, before we grow too attached to it and get it yanked right from under us.

12am Nigella (Discovery Travel & Living [what, I can't exist on a single channel]) – Ah the only saving grace for dreary Monday, Britain’s original English muffin, domestic goddess Nigella Lawson. Just watching her cook and talk in that crisp upper crust British manner is music to the Becker abused ears. Her cooking and recipes may be simple but she injects her own persona and habits as if to give us a glimpse into how a typical day or week in her life is. I watch as much for the visual splendor as for the recipe ideas. Ooo, listen to her long enough and I'm even begining to sound like her. And who can believe she’s over 40? It must be all that cream, chocolate and butter used in English cooking.

Erra Ferrero Ferrari

2005-09-12T15:40:00.000+08:00

Is it me or has Malaysia run out of actors? Every movie has Erra Fazira heading the casts. Just saw in the newspapers her movie playing this week KL Menjerit 1 with Rosyam Nor AND GGPP (stupid acronym for Gila-gila Pengantin Popular), 2 freakin’ movies simultaneously? Another popular casting is her husband Yusri. Helloo, no one else to sell movies except these two is it? Sick and tired of looking at their faces in every single M’sian movie lah. Not so long ago they were in Gila-gila pengantin (whatever version), Cinta Kolestrol, Cinta Fotocopi, Cinta-god-knows-what-else-cinta. I can’t even keep track.

Even Lady Boss has Erra, when here I was innocently thinking it was just one annoying Ning Baizura. One of Erra’s upcoming movie for next year is Gerak Khas II. Heck, if I was Erra Fazira, I’d get sick of seeing myself so often! According to the media Erra Fazira is the most bankable actress in Malaysia. I’m surprised that Erra wasn’t the leading lady in Sepet. This is the sad state of Malaysia’s movie industry? Yusof Haslam, get a life, or at least stop abusing the public’s infatuation with Erra.

The Makings of a Sofa Spud - The Sequel

2005-09-12T11:27:00.000+08:00

So years and years of being a couch potato has finally taken it's toll. I can no longer contain my opinions and I feel the need to unleash these bottled up emotions onto the world, well just on my blog actually. Plus I need a new couch, oops I mean sofa. And a new plasma TV won't hurt either. But what has that got to do with anything.

Being an avid TV viewer, I didn't realised the amount of TV series that I've watched over the years, until one year, a lot of the shows that I'd been watching were on their last season. So it got me thinking about all the shows that have been my staple diet over the years. Actually, I can't really recall what was the first TV series I ever saw. I mean when I was a spudling, I'd watch what my parents were watching, so I remember shows like Hart to Hart, Remington Steele, TJ Hooker, The A-Team, Macgyver, Dallas, Falcon Crest, Dynasty, Knight Rider, Airwolf, Tarzan and so on. I can't really recall ALL of them so i wonder if anyone remembers some that I've left out or maybe I need to go look it up on the website for a comprehensive list of TV shows but that would be a heck of a long list to go through.

But anyway, watching those series for me was more of an on and off basis. I mean I won't know more than 2 main casts, I didn't know the overall storyline or theme for a particular season (I didn't know there were seasons even), I didn't really relate to the stories etc.

Then when I became a bigger spud, I had my own set of shows that I follow zealously every week. The shows that ended that year got me thinking of other shows that I've been following which were also ending or have ended such as:

The shows that deserved the end.
1. X-Files (I didn't realised I'd been watching it for 10 years) - Well the first 5 years were fantastic and somewhere along the lines, maybe things started to get old and rehashed, especially when new agents were brought on board. I started watching this series when I was still in school til i went off to Oz, and continued on from there, and up until when I started working (man am I that old?). In the end, I think I was glad that Mulder & Scully ended up together though I'm sure it was not how many viewers thought it would be. But I was satisfied with the ending of Mulder & Scully on a couch together, I thought it had a sort of finality to it.

2. Ally McBeal - Started off as such a refreshing show, like nothing ever seen or done on TV. But again towards the end Ally just got more n more whiny and the cause became more and more about her, like one of the characters put it, why does Ally’s problem seemed bigger than everyone else’s. And Ally’s reply of cuz they’re MINE, is so LAME. so it was good that they ended it before someone picked up a gun and shoots Ally in the head, and by someone, I meant me.

3. 3rd Rock from the Sun - I remember seeing the first episode and thinking Tommy was such a cute kid. The show was wacky & zany and it had wacky characters that were both adorably likeable yet annoying at the same time. Over the years, the wackiness got too over the top, the storylines staled and Tommy grew up. The ending was quite appropriate as well, I thought, same as how they arrived on earth, the aliens all sat in their car and zapped out into space. However, Dick hitting Mary unconscious, well I just wish he had taken her along. She deserved at least that for all the outrageous shenanigans he put her thru throughout the years.

4. FRIENDS – One of the funniest, well written sitcoms to pass 30 minutes with. They cheer you up when you’re feeling down, a dose of Friends is all I need to make me feel like the world is a better place again. You get involved in their daily lives and it’s as if you know them so well that they’ve become your friends and their daily life is also your daily life. But we all know they can’t go on forever, same as how we can’t relate to them forever as we grow from one stage of our life to the next. So 10 years is a good run, although an extra 1-2 years wouldn’t hurt either. So far I haven’t seen the last season yet to comment, but I do hope Ross and Rachel would end up together, I mean c’mon people, haven’t those two been thru enough, I mean heck, even Monica gets Chandler, so why not Ross and Rachel?

And those that left us suddenly when we still wanted more.
1. Roswell – 3 seasons and that’s it? Ok, the 2nd season was a bit rocky and uneven, but after that the show started to find its ground. The actors were what made the show so great. The chemistry between the actors make you really relate and feel their pain. Roswell fans sent carts of Tobasco sauce to the studio to appeal their decision but no amount of Tobasco was able to save Roswell from sinking to the bottom of TV history. Everyone on it was brilliant, Shiri Appleby, Jason Behr, Majandra Delfino, Brendan Fehr, Katherine Heigl, Nick Weschsler, although I never liked Emilie de Ravin which was brought in too late into the group and never really meshed well with the rest.

2. Buffy – One of the best supernatural series on TV. Being a supernatural series allows Buffy to stretch the fabric of TV and deal with many issues that actually are quite true to life. Many people might slag this series off but it has grown on many levels and is not at all a one dimensional nor even a 2 dimensional character. Watching the re-runs now on StarWorld and would like to get the complete DVD boxset (The Chosen Collection 40 Disc DVD Set) on Amazon. As anyone can tell, I’m a huge Buffy fan, me. So more ranting on this series to come. The surface has not even been scratched yet. There Bey, if you see that boxed set in sg, help me to get. By the way, according to Amazon, it will only be released November 15. Cost on Amazon USD$ 129.99

3. Angel – After the demise of Buffy, I had to cure my addiction with Angel. But only a year after Buffy departed, Angel was axed too. There goes the only other good vampire show after Buffy. I must admit, I started off not liking Angel, first of all, being that it was a spinoff series. But over the years, Angel developed its own identity and stood on it’s own 2 fangs. The first few years were very rocky, but I feel it really has come into it’s own in the 5th (and final) season. That’s why I feel it was such an untimely death for the show, just when it has finally found it’s real footing. The 5th season feels very polished and it helps that they no longer have a shack or empty so called hotel for an office but a big law firm at their disposal. I like that Gunn cleaned up and is now only seen in suits (rather than crappy street wear). I like that Angel has a nice gleaming office of his own with an equally gleaming oak desk to sit behind, rather than standing behind the counter of the run down hotel or sharing an office with all the others. And that the evil they fight now comes as “clients” to a law firm instead of chaos out of the streets. It also helps that Cordelia and Connor are no longer around. I mean I still don’t get the romance between Cordy and Angel (what on earth was that all about? I mean for Angel to move from Buffy to Cordy? In the words of Cordy, like uh helloo, like serious downgrade?) and especially sickening relationship between Cordy and Connor. In its last season, the series seemed to have more of a purpose. Oh and I get that, the idea of a vampire WITH A SOUL heading a LAW FIRM where many who works there are not known to have a soul, very clever.

4. Tru Calling - Tru, I started off not liking when I saw it was Eliza Dushku, formerly Faith in Buffy aka Buffy's main rival. So being the loyal Buffy fan that I am, I immediately dismissed the idea that Dushku was A-list enough to carry a series by herself. But I'm glad that I could not be more wrong. The series' premise itself is very promising, a very large canvas to work with. But it was canned after only 2 seasons because the network wanted to focus their resources on another more promising show which eventually turned out to be a dud anyway. Well we could have told those network idiots that. Anyone could see the potential in Tru to be one of the top supernatural series on TV with a bright and enduring future. The storyline was always crisp and heart stopping, although during its first season slowly became predictable. But all that serves as groundwork to catapult us into something more. Dushku portrays Tru with such convincing passion it's hard not to be drawn in by her cause. She also has extremely good rapport with every character onscreen. If some woman suddenly showed up at my doorstep to try to befriend me in order to save my life, Dushku would be the face I'd welcome with open arms. The banter and relationship between Tru and her brother, Harrison is always believable and very endearing. Same can also be said for Tru and Jack, Jason Priestly's character in season 2. The 2nd season, with the arrival of Priestly, picks up considerably with even more startling revelations and surprises. Priestly is a good balance for Dushku, both playing off each other extremely well, struggling back and forth as the proverbial good versus evil, although the line between the two is not always as clear. Plus, Priestly finally has a series to be proud of in his career (I'm sure he winces everytime he looks back at Beverly Hills 90210). One of the most promising series cut down at its prime.

Those are but a few listed for now. Hmm, will try to recall some more for future rantings.

I think I like the idea of a series with a manageable core cast of approximately 5-7 people. Any bigger than that, I find it hard to relate and even to manage what is going on. Maybe that's why I haven't caught onto LOST. It also helps if they don't change the cast every season or keep bringing in new characters to replace old ones. They need to be able to develop and flesh out a character so that audiences can identify and grow with them, a feat which I think was done exceptionally well on Buffy. But then again, maybe I'm just partial towards Buffy.

The makings of a sofa spud

2005-09-12T10:11:00.000+08:00

Ok, a quick shoutout to Bulert for wasting her brain juice...see i mentioned you (and in the very first sentence, hope your sacrifice was worth it). Cuz Bulert orginally wanted couch spud cuz it flows smoother but i put my big fat foot down and said hey, this is the IT millenium age lah, couch is so 70s, ok, so let's take the clinical couch out and put in a cosy sofa. Ok, maybe not, I just whined, but I want sofa cannot meh.

And I also wanna mention abbey, so hey, i just did. Is it lame to do a couple more shoutouts? Hmm, my blog, and I say, urm, totally NOT lame. So shoutout to Bey and her godforsaken blog name that I can never recall.

Oh oh, and also Lubert, the silent thinker. And she does a good job with the laundry too. Always. :)

Well, might as well rope in the rest of the gang (Bulert's fault), malert aka CFY for her inspirational recipes & tips, Balert way yonder in KL wif Patwert & their lil Kembarakin.

Last but not least, how can I forget my dear ol Doobert.

Ok...and I thought I was gonna have trouble with the opening entry.