| Wednesday, March 29, 2006 |
| Mister Donut, AI, Oprah and the girl who ate pencil shavings |
Did you hear about the teacher who made her student eat pencil shavings as a punishment for "misbehaving" in class? As a result of this "punishment", the student died of acute tonsilitis. The student was only eight years old, with her whole life ahead of her. According to family and friends, the student was a good kid. She went straight home from school, did her chores, helped out around the house, and did her homework. And then comes her teacher who decides to punish her because she somehow annoyed her teacher. Was that a good example? I don't think so. Last, I heard, the teacher's now in hiding.
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I love the new Mister Donut commercial with the girl who got dumped by her boyfriend crying her heart out to her friends. Siya na ang nakikiramay, napagalitan pa. Alavit!
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American Idol tonight was quite boring. Even the "hot ones" weren't so hot. Disappointing since this week's theme was songs from the 21st century. It should have been exciting and familiar, you know.
1. Lisa Tucker - You're just getting worse and worse every week. What happened to the girl who Simon praised? Remember during the Hollywood auditions, he asked you how old you were and when you said "16", he said, "Well, that just proves when you've got, you've got it". So disappointing. Just shows us that youth can be a factor. You probably couldn't handle the pressure. You actually kind of remind me
of Camille Velasco. She was good in the auditions but during the Top 12 performances, she just became worse and worse until she eventually got voted out on the 4th show. Ack.
2. Kellie Pickler - Kellie. Kellie. Kellie. Like so many people have said, the naive country girl act is wearing so thin now. I'm surprised you pulled it off for so long. But it's wearing our now and it was so obvious in your performance. Were you bored? Did you not like your song? Where's the passion? Where's the cuteness in it? Where's the bubbliness in it? I was so bored with your performance. Bucky had better moves than you (and that really doesn't say much). I'm sorry, my dear, but I don't think you have what it takes to become the next American Idol.
3. Ace Young - Ah. Ace Young. My friend doesn't like you but I do. I do. Coz I haven't had any new crush since, well, forever. But man, c'mon, what happened? You were doing good before. What happened now? You're flirting with the girls on camera but it's not working anymore. You're being dubbed this year's Constantine but the difference is people forget about Constantine's flirting on camera because he had a good voice and he delivered it everytime. You have yet to do that, my dear. Maybe you'll work it out next week, if you're still around. But I think you will be.
4. Taylor Hicks - I love you, Taylor Hicks. You are a wonderful class on your own. Because of you, I wanna be part of the Soul Patrol! Not your greatest performance but not your worst either. And you've got shorter and brighter hair. No matter what you do, I will forever love you, Taylor Hicks. Can you guess who my favorite it? ;)
5. Mandisa - People call you Man-diva because, yeah, you sing great and you're a great performer. But, like someone said tonight, I don't get it. I don't get you. You're good but there's just something about you that I don't get. I think you're going to reach at least Top 5 but I'm not sure if you're going to win it. One thing's for sure though, you're not going anywhere this week.
6. Chris Daughtry - I loved you at first because the first song I heard you sing was Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi. Then I watched out for you. Then you sang Hemorrhage by Fuel and I was impressed. And then you did the same thing week after week after week. I don't think you're going to win but I don't you're going to go anywhere this week though.
7. Katherine McPhee - You're as pop as pop can get. But I still love you. Even though your performance wasn't as good as last week, it still rocks coz it's you, McPheever. Unlike Kellie, you come off as real. And I want you to become the next American Idol.
8. Bucky Covington - Ah. Bucky. The underdog. I never get tired of seeing your perform. Well probably until the season ends. I can't imagine you winning the whole thing but I still have a fun time watching you. And that was a good attempt at the dancing. Wasn't good but I appreciate the effort.
9. Paris Bennet - Ah. I loved this girl at first. And then she lost her magic. And when the Top 12 started, she got it back again. Your performance of Beyonce's Work It Out was okay. Well, it's better than the other performances tonight. But at least your spirit's still there.
10. Elliott Yamin - My friends and I were discussing what possible songs the 10 contestants were going to sing tonight and they said they wanted Elliott to sing Gavin DeGraw, either Chariot or I Don't Want To Be. And they were right! Elliott changed up the arrangement and, well, I don't like it. But I still love your vocals. I love your singing voice. You sing so great! And I want you to be on Top 3 with Taylor and Katherine. That will be just perfect.
Bottom three will probably be Lisa, Bucky and either Kellie or Ace. I think Lisa will be out this week.
****Side Note: GEORGE HUFF was in the audience! I love this guy!
I was watching an old episode of Oprah and it was "Wildest Dreams Come True". She was about to make Bernadette's dreams come true. Bernadette's is a mom with 9 kids. She has two jobs, for the army and at Starbucks. She lives in a tiny apartment and she barely makes ends meet. In comes Oprah who gives all 9 kids a shopping spree at Toys 'R' Us. Then "lends" Nate, her decorator, to Bernadette to arrange her place. Plus Oprah presents Bernadette with brand new furniture, including a brand new living room set from Walter E. Smithe, top of the line kitchen showcase from Sears, 12 beds from Walter E. Smith.
And here's the best part. Oprah tells her that the kids got so much stuff from Toys 'R' Us and she didn't want how they can fit in all the new furniture and the new stuff in their tiny apartment. So Oprah surprises her by telling her, "We're getting you a new house". Omigod! Even the kids were crying because this is truly wildest dreams come true! Wow. At least there are still people like Oprah that does something like that. |
posted by Jax @ 11:53:00 PM   |
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| Sunday, March 26, 2006 |
| Happy 3rd Birthday! |
It's JAX PLACE's third birthday!
And in honor of its birthday,
A turtle pie for everybody! Yumm-eh!
Labels: life |
| posted by Jax @ 1:03:00 AM |
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| Wednesday, March 22, 2006 |
| 50s Week |
Last night on American Idol, the final 11 contestants performed for the 50s week. I did not attempt to make any predictions since the 50s are not something I'm entirely familiar with (I know some but not a lot) although I did wish for someone to sing a Nat King Cole song (someone did) or Unchained Melody (no one did).
Here is my evaluation of the 11 performances.
1. Katherine McPhee
Along with Taylor, the two of them are my favorites to win this years's American Idol. McPhee-ver sang "Come Rain Or Come Shine" by Ella Fitzgerald. What an effortless performance! I can simply imagine her performing in intimate concerts already. I'd go and watch her. She has been trained by her voice-coach/mom and through college and it really does show. She just captivates her audience whenever she performs. Sometimes, it's so hard to imagine she has a voice like that because she's so different when she's not singing. I really hope she wins this. But for now, she's not going anywhere.
2. Taylor Hicks
As Randy Jackson would say, his rendition of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" was a performance song. Because it didn't show off much of his vocal range. But I don't care because Taylor still rocks! I still love him and, if not Katherine, I want him to win this. He's a great singer and musician. He's in the competition to show us what he's got while still having fun.
3. Paris Bennett
I grew tired of this girl simply because the same enthusiasm that I saw in her during the Hollywood auditions was absent from her performances as part of the Top 24. But omigoodness. Her version of Peggy Lee's "Fever" was just amazing. She took my breath away. She's not going anywhere unless she messes it up next week.
4. Mandisa
Mandisa is a great singer. Everybody knows that. Her version of Dinah Washington's "I Don't Hurt Anymore" will make sure that she'll definitely be in the competition until next week. But the truth is, I'm not sure if I want her to win American Idol because I'm not really feeling her, you know. She's great but she's not my favorite to win it all.
5. Chris Daughtry
The reason I like Chris is because I know that his every performance will always reflect who he is because he knows who he is. He knows his strengths and his weaknesses. He knows what he can bring to the table and what he can't. Although I didn't like his performance of Johnny Cash's "I Walk The Line" wasn't all that great (his cover of Fuel's "Hemmorhage" is still his performance to beat for me), his maturity and security still shows in his performances.
6. Elliott Yamin
I love Elliott's voice. Every week, even if his song choices were not that great, he always makes the song work because he has an excellent singing voice, or as Simon Cowell said in his performance of Al Jarreau's "Teach Me Tonight", the singing voice "was fantastic". The only thing he has to work on, I think, is his ability to charm the audience.
7. Bucky Covington
I like Bucky. I do. Just not his version of Buddy Holly's "Oh Boy". I think the song sums up perfectly well my thoughts on his performance. Oh boy. I like you, Bucky, but you gotta do better than that.
8. Ace Young
After his performance of George Michael's "Father Figure", I liked this guy, not just because he seemed like this year's Constantine Maroulis but also because he can work the crowd (well, mostly the girls) without even trying. The judges said it was a good performance, sure to keep him out of the bottom three. But his performance of The Five Satins' "In The Still Of The Night" left me, not disappointed but not, totally satisfied either. But, yeah, Simon's right. He's not going to be in the bottom three this week.
9. Lisa Tucker
She was great during the Top 24 performances. So why is Lisa Tucker struggling this crucial time? I don't know but I know for sure that she's simply not bringing it. HEr performance of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers's "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" was just wrong. I don't think she woke up from Wake Up Call last week.
10. Kellie Pickler
Kellie Pickler is not cute anymore. She's just downright annoying. Her performance of Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight" was, in the words of Randy Jackson, "just alright for me". It wasn't bad but it was a bit forgettable. She better think of something to waken up her performances soon because the "country bumpkin attitude" is really wearing thin now.
11. Kevin Covais
When they announced it was gonna be 50s week this week, I wanted someone to sing a Nat King Cole song. I didn't expect that someone to be Kevin though. He sang "When I Fall In Love", which was slightly better than his performance of Stevie Wonder's "Part-time Lover", which, IMO, was totally inappropriate for him. I think the song really suited his voice, which veers on the Rat Pack scene. But I don't care because I still don't want him in the competition.
My bottom three picks: Kevin, Lisa and Bucky.
**************SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE RESULTS SHOW YET!***********
I was right. And the mistakenly-dubbed sex symbol has left the building (or the competition, in this case).
Kellie and Lisa are next.Labels: american idol, tv |
| posted by Jax @ 9:39:00 PM |
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| Monday, March 13, 2006 |
| Almost 3 years |
I was reading some of my earlier entries here when it hit me.
Jax Place will be turning three years old soon!
On March 26, actually.
Wow.
Can you believe it?
I'd like to do something nice again for this place. Maybe I'll change my lay-out again. I've had this lay-out since 2004 and I think I need a change, you know?
Hmm. We'll see.Labels: life |
| posted by Jax @ 3:18:00 AM |
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| Friday, March 10, 2006 |
| American Idol 2006 Top 12 |
Here are the Top 12 finalists for American Idol 2006.
12. Kevin Covais
11. Lisa Tucker
10. Paris Bennet
9. Bucky Covington
8. Melissa McGhee
7. Kellie Pickler
6. Elliott Yamin
5. Ace Young
4. Katherine McPhee
3. Chris Daughtry
2. Taylor Hicks
1. Mandisa
This list is not in random order. This lists, I believe, the weakest to strongest finalist. These are not, however, my favorites. If it were only up to me, I'd pick Mandisa, Taylor and Katherine at the top of my list.
I don't think the younger ones will last in the competition. Compared (which you can't help but do) to the older finalists, they're very weak and not as secure. The older finalists, most of them anyway, already know what will and will not work for them. With that being said, that's why I think Chris, Taylor and Mandisa are the strongest finalists because they are the ones who know themselves the most and know what will make them strong.
My new mission now is to predict what the finalists will sing on Stevie Wonder Week. Here are my predictions:
1. Mandisa - Signed, Sealed, Deliverd (I'm Yours)
2. Ace - My Cherie Amour
3. Kevin - Lately
4. Bucky - For Once In My Life
5. Elliott - Isn't She Lovely
6. Katherine McPhee - You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
7. Taylor - Knocks Me Off My Feet
8. Lisa - I Just Called To Say I Love You
9. Melissa - Superstition
10. Paris - Part-Time Lover
11. Chris - Higher Ground
12. Kellie - For Your Love
Will they sing these songs next week? Excited na ako to find out!
Suggestions for the next weeks:
1. Queen Week
2. Disco Week
3. New Wave Week
4. Grammy Week
5. U2 Week
6. Soul Week
7. Elvis Presley Week
8. Marvin Gaye Week
9. Billboard Hits Week
10. Rock Hits Week
I actually already have several songs under each category that would be fun to sing on American Idol.
Just four more days before the Top 12 perform to become the next American Idol!Labels: american idol |
| posted by Jax @ 8:02:00 PM |
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| Four Things |
Four Jobs I've Had In My Life
1. Writer
2. Barista
3. Entrepreneur
4. Marketing/Finance Officer
Four Films I Can Watch Over And Over
1. Serendipity
2. Eurotrip (cracks me up everytime!)
3. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
4. Gladiator
Four Places I Have Lived
1. Davao City
2. Quezon City
3. Tagaytay City
Four TV Programs I Love To Watch
1. The O.C.!
2. Friends
3. American Idol
4. Veronica Mars
Four Places I Would Have Visited, Had I Had The Money
1. Spain
2. Sweden
3. Prague
4. St. Petersburg
Four Websites I Visit Daily
1. msn.com
2. Friendster
3. Jax Place (LJ & at blogger)
4. my email (yahoo & gmail)
Four Of My Favorite Foods
1. Belgian Bites at Mister Donut
2. Oishi Chocolate Pillows
3. Friday's Burger with Cheese
4. Mocha Blends Bolognese
Four Places I Would Rather Be
1. the beach (any beach coz I haven't been to the beach 2003)
2. London (i want to go back!)
3. San Francisco (coz by then, I'll be studying again)
4. Prague
Four Bloggers I Am Tagging (in no particular order)
1. every
2. one
3. of
4. youLabels: surveys |
| posted by Jax @ 2:49:00 AM |
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| Monday, March 06, 2006 |
| Oscars 2006 |
OSCAR SPOILERS! DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO WON YET!
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I am so glad Crash won Best Picture at the just-concluded 78th Annual Academy Awards! Brokeback Mountain was the favorite to win but Crash was clearly the better film.
Why did Crash win against Brokeback Mountain?
I believe it's because everything in the movie was so real, the emotions, the experience, the stories, the people. Brokeback Mountain's story may really be about two gay cowboys but I felt no sympathy for them. In fact, I didn't feel anything for them. I wasn't moved by the movie and I felt nothing of their plight. Although I have to add, Michelle Williams was simply remarkable in this movie. I know I said that the four principal actors were very good but Michelle Williams was the one who, I believe, stood out.
Back to Crash...
Crash was an ensemble movie. There wasn't just one lead character. No, actually there was one lead character, the city of Los Angeles. And the actors were not who they were, they were their characters. I believed Sandra Bullock was the DA's wife who was too scared and too proud (bad combination). I believed Matt Dillon as the cop who had a heart of stone that can still be penetrated. I believed Ryan Philippe as the cop who seems innocent yet subjects himself to the system. I believed Don Cheadle as the dutiful detective and son but always a failure. I believed all of them were someone else and that's where the beauty of the movie lies in.
Brokeback Mountain was, in my opinion, mechanical. And I really believe that Ang Lee is losing his touch. How sad. But I still love him.
I am glad though that the Oscars this year wasn't very predictable. No one dominated the affair. If you noticed, the productions/movies nominated for the technical awards were quite different from the productions/movies nominated for the directing and acting awards.
I loved Ben Stiller's spot! I was laughing so hard with the green unitard. Only Ben Stiller can pull off something like that. Remember when he presented with Owen Wilson and he was wearing his Starsky and Hutch outfit while Owen Wilson wore his tux and Owen was like, "Why are you wearing that? Didn't they tell you we weren't wearing that anymore?" And Ben was like, "No." Haha!
And Jennifer Garner was quite graceful. To slip like that and recover quickly, like nothing happened. Well, almost.
Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep were hilarious as they introduced Rob Altman. And Rob Altman didn't disappoint us, too.
Too bad Pia Clemente didn't take home the golden man but it's still an honor to be nominated.
I loved the look of Michelle Williams and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Classic looks that I didn't really expect from them.
Not too many colors this time, though. Almost everyone toned it down. Well, except for Jada Pinkett Smith, Michelle Williams, Tim Burton and Dolly Parton. And speaking of Dolly Parton, I love the shoes she wore when she was performing "Travellin' Thru" from the movie "Transamerica"! Haha! My brother couldn't help but laugh when he heard me say this. He wasn't expecting it, he said. Well, hers were the only footwear I saw. Well two, if you count Felicity Huffman's black pairs. But I didn't care much for that.
Now that the 78th Academy Awards are over, I'm now looking forward to the 2006 movies and hopefully, there'll be a better turn out this year.Labels: movies |
| posted by Jax @ 2:51:00 AM |
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| Thursday, March 02, 2006 |
| American Idol |
My top 12 bets for American Idol: (in random order)
Girls
1. Kellie Pickler - Simon said it himself. You can't help it but like the girl. And she can sing, too. "Pickler, pick me."
2. Katherine McPhee - She's beautiful and a great singer. And I loved the way everything just felt so natural for her.
3. Mandisa - Nuff said.
4. Paris Bennet - A younger Fantasia, probably. Just lay off the oldies.
5. Lisa Tucker - She's good. And she's only 16! I'm sure she'll blow us away once she gets her groove on.
6. Melissa McGhee - She's good, too. (hehehe)
Boys
1. Taylor Hicks - He's a great performer. And he just embodies music.
2. Chris Daughtry - After last night's performance, how can you bump him off?
3. Ace Young - C'mon, he's good-looking and he sings good. What more can you ask for? Well, just choose better songs next time.
4. Kevin Covais - Chicken Large! He's like John Stevens, only more diverse. The newest sex symbol!
5. Elliot Yamin - The only thing that I don't like about the guy is the way he eats his word when he's speaking. But when he's singing, you quickly forget he even does that.
6. Here's where I can't decide. There are actually 3 people I'd like to put here. Bucky Covington (coz I like rockers), Gedeon McKinney (that smile is so captivating) and Sway Penala (besides the fact that he's Pinoy, he's still good).
Tonight though, I'd like to see Brenna Gathers, Heather Cox and David Radford go.Labels: american idol |
| posted by Jax @ 10:55:00 PM |
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