Undeniably, Michael Jackson has been one of the greatest artists that the music industry has produced. Conservatively, I believe it is safe to say that everyone has a favorite Michael Jackson song. With no doubt, I believe that he is still the reigning King of Pop.
With his early demise, I can not help but to feel happy for him. Not everyone may agree with me, but I guess he has lived a very lonely life. It will not take a genius to realize that … his eye betrays him and expose the loneliness he tried so much to hide inside of him. Fame robbed him the right to privacy. Like vultures, some of the media eagerly waits for him to fall, so they can feast on him. Sad but true, that is what one has to pay for stardom. Only death can give him his passage to peace.
Honestly, I believe that while a huge part of the world is grieving for his death, Michael Jackson is grinning from ear to ear now and embracing the freedom that the world denied of him once.
Below is one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs. I don’t think it is really that popular but it perfectly fits the life of a Michael Jackson.
For the longest time, the Philippine Television industry has proven that they can do their own version of games and talent search with foreign origin.
Kris Aquino’s Deal or No Deal had a huge followers and ran for many seasons. Paolo Bediones’ Survivor was also a major hit. We also had our own version of the Big Brother House and American Idol through Pinoy Big Brother and Pinoy Idol respectively.
However, not all copycat shows live to the level of their counterparts. One show that I am not really a big fan of is ABC 5′s Talentadong Pinoy. If I am not mistaken it was our version of Britain’s Got A Talent and America’s Got A Talent. Why? Simply because it has nothing really much to show. There are days in the contest that someone wins just because someone has to win. It’s quite frustrating that contestants show the same talent from week to week: juggling, balancing acts, magic and eating razors. With all honestly, it is giving or sending a wrong impressions that we are a nation of carnival talents.
I just hope ABC 5 Management and anyone from the production of Talentadong Pinoy exerts more effort in getting real talents that we can be truly proud of. I believe the Philippines has more Susan Boyle than Great Britain, we just need to give an extra mile in looking for them.
But in fairness to ABC 5 and Talentadong Pinoy, I am regular viewer of the show and so far the show’s greatest find is Wanlu, a ventriloquist. If you have not see him yet, please see the youtube link below:
As I checked the Lifestyle Section of my broad sheet this morning, I came across a story about the latest singing sensation discovered from the Episode One (1) of Britain’s Got A Talent this year. Her name is Susan Boyle, a 47 year old spinster from Scotland.
A bit curious about all the praises she got from the write-up, I searched at YouTube on her performance at Britain’s Got A Talent. Oh My God! She was really good … she gave a very stunning rendition of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables. Her performance was indeed moving that shortly after just singing the first line of the song the people from the studio is already clapping their hands. At the end of the third line of the song, one by one people already gave her a standing ovation. I doubt it if she was even familiar with the show for she immediately walked away from the center stage after her song. She was asked to go back for the judges’ verdict which is an expected three YESes.
Surprisingly, according to some news, Susan was battling from a deep personal anguish as she sings that night. Her mother died two years ago and she stopped singing ever since. The night she sang at Britain’s Got A Talent was actually her first time to sing in public in two years time.
On a personal note, I was guilty after seeing Susan Boyle’s performance. Like many others, I have a tendency to judge people merely on how well they look. Often times, I made fun of people who look and dress up weirdly. I often equates looks to talent… Susan Boyle proved me that I am completely wrong. As Amanda (one of the judges) puts it, Susan Boyle was wake-up call for everyone that looks sometimes could be completely deceiving.
As early as now, I can bet my life that she will eventually make it to the finals of Britain’s Got A Talent. She can even win the competition and start a new chapter of her life as a celebrity.
More than anything, I believe what most important is that by standing there to sing, she proved herself that now she is already ready to move on with her life after her mother’s death. That makes her a WINNER in her life already.
I have attached below the link of her performance at Britain’s Got A Talent. A word of advise though, please have some tissues besides you before viewing it. I was in tears for more than a minutes after hearing Susan Boyle’s heavenly voice.
Go Susan Boyle … the next biggest talent of Great Britain!
As I checked the YouTube this evening, the link has already got over 27 million hits.
He/She is hitting the headlines every week. He/She makes it to the cover of various magazines. Almost anything he/she does attract controversies. He/She has some serious issues with his/her family.How to address him/her in some write ups and even in this blog is a bit challenging.
He/She is Bebe Gandanghari!
Just what makes him/her so controversial? For one, he is not the first gay actor in the industry. There are a lot of them, both hiding-in and living-out of the closet. But why do people put so much focus on Bebe?
These are my personal thoughts of why people are scandalized by Bebe:
1.Bebe came from a prominent showbiz clan known for their machismo;
2.Bebe was once a married man;
3.Bebe has proclaimed the death of his/her alter-ego, to the disappointment of his/her family;
4.Bebe insists to be regarded as a lady;
5.Bebe has an outlandish fashion taste.
There are mixed reactions from people regarding the blossoming of Bebe Gandanghari. Some admire him/her for his/her courage to stand-up from the rubble of his past. Some find him/her a bit loony on all his/her claims. Some are happy for him/her. Some reacted that he/she is overdoing it. And so much more reactions.
If I may put some intelligent humor about the disagreement of people regarding Bebe Gandanghari, I will be borrowing a line from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and say …”To Bebe or Not to Bebe, that is the question”.
On a personal note, I may not totally agree with what Bebe is actually doing in his/her life but I stand for the belief that everyone deserve respect. Anyways, it is his/her life. He/She alone is accountable for what he/she becomes in the long run.
This is the first time that I will be posting an entry on my blogsite for the same subject.
I won’t be afraid to admit that up to now I have not yet move on for the early demise of the Master Rapper , Francis Magalona. My heart still weeps for the loss of a great man. Let’s face it … it is not everyday that a real talent with great music and unwavering principles comes to our entertainment industry.
As I watched the news last night, I knew that I am not alone in missing FrancisM. A few days after his death, people still line-up to purchase his shirt. In the airwaves, request for his songs rose up. At youtube, videos related to FrancisM get frequent hits. We are not really over FrancisM yet… not for a long time, I supposed.
At a personal level, I can’t help myself to sing Kaleidoscope World each time I visit the Johns. Just this morning, I requested at Rx Monster radio to play Cold Summer Night.
Joey De Leon’s message last Saturday at Eat Bulaga touched me. He was right! FrancisM did not leave us … he will never will … as long as our hearts can remember him , he will never die.
Please see below a poem by Mary Frye that I believe Francis Magalona will be saying for all those who loved him , cared for him , looked up to him , believed in him , shared his battle and have faith in him.
Hey! Francis M … much as we are saddened by your early loss of life … I am equally happy that the Lord heard our prayers that you will no longer experience a day of pain ever again.
To be honest, I am amaze on how rappers can manage to utter loads of words in seconds without loosing its rhyme. However, I was never a big fan of Pinoy rap music at the beginning. In my personal opinion, it was just another poor attempt of Juan dela Cruz to sound like American. Hate me if you want but I don’t really get it why rap songs like “Humanap Ka Ng Panget”, “Andrew Ford Medina” and “Binibirocha” ever make it as a hit… they are rubbish!
But out of the blue … a genius named Francis Magalona gave pinoy rapping a twist and owned it. In his rap song “Mga Kababayan Ko”, he encouraged the Filipinos to take pride of themselves. He corrected the wrong notion that white people are more superior to us. He used rapping as his medium to shout to the world the exquisiteness of the Philippines. Indeed, “Mga Kababayan Ko” is one of the most beautifully written and inspiring rap song I heard in my whole life.
I became an instant fan of Francis M. after his “Mga Kababayan Ko”. His success attracted some more people to try rapping as a career. One good thing about Francis M. is that he was never threatened of newcomers in the industry. He was actually supportive of them. No wonder he is well-loved in the industry.
When he made known to public his battle against leukemia, the whole Philippines supported him all the way. People came out and donated blood. Friends put up fundraising activities. People stormed the Heaven with prayers. In short, no one wants him to go.
Unfortunately, shortly after noontime of last Friday (March 06, 2009), Francis M. ended his painful battle with leukemia. When I first saw the sad new in my friendster’s bulletin, I did not take it seriously, I thought it was just a hoax. Only after seeing it in the late night news that I finally believed that Francis M. is really gone. I am not over-reacting but there was a feeling of loss inside of me. He was an inspiration to me and to the Filipino nation.
Francis M. … you are the man! Words are not enough to thank you for the many inspirations that your music has brought to your million of followers. We will never forget you because you will live forever in our hearts. We will truly miss you!
I am attaching three mtvs of FRancis M.’s Kaleidoscope World : Akafellas version, Francis M’s original version and Eraserhead’s tribute to Francis M during their The Final Set concert.
