Mitsuru

"He was magic.” Kirk Douglas recalled that he was mesmerized by “this guy, this young actor” while watching The Indian Wants the Bronx eons ago and remembered going backstage and telling : “'Mr. Pacino, you're going to be a star.' That was 45 years ago. What took you so long, Al?" Al Pacino in his speech acknowledged that The Godfather made him a household name and a star and showed gratitude to his Director, Francis Ford Coppola whom he admitted he haven’t seen in a long time and thanked him profusely for standing pat on his choice of the actor that will portray the coveted role of Michael Corleone" "I hardly ever see him anymore," he said. " Francis didn't just put me in the Godfather. He fought for me. Even when I no longer wanted to be in it. I wouldn't be here without him." Francis Ford Coppola in his videotaped tribute in turn revealed that while reading the book, The Godfather by Mario Puzo , the only f...

The American Film Institute (AFI) is a non- profit organization that was created in 1967 to preserve America’s Film Heritage and train future filmmakers which was made possible when then President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the legislation creating the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in 1965 whose Board of Trustees in turn established the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1973. The AFI Life Achievement Award is recognized and considered to be the highest honor given to a career in film. Stars like Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep as well as Directors Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese just to name a few were all recipients of the prestigious award. This year’s honoree Al Pacino will be very much at home in their company, all giants of the silver screen and talented actors/actresses in their own right. One touching moment in the show was when Hollywood’s Nanogenarian Icon and Mr. Spartacus himself, Kirk Douglas , who survived a stroke in 1996 which left him p...

AL PACINO : Man of the Hour “Say Hello To My little Friend!” If you don’t know that line you probably don't know who Tony Montana was nor you have not seen Al Pacino at his wicked- best. And I would probably say that you missed one of the best "bleep" movie of all “bleep’ time! Those were the words that cocaine- powered Tony Montana in the movie Scarface hurled to his enemies behind the door before unleashing the M- 203 grenade launcher at them in one of the highlights of the brutal and savage film by Brian de Palma and script written by Oliver Stone in the early 80’s. Last night, his colleagues at the American Film Institute (AFI) and his legions of fans have once again said hello to this diminutive man by Hollywood standards but a giant one in stature both in life and on the screen by presenting him the 35th AFI Life Achievement Award reserved only for the silver screen’s elite. The televised show was actually held at the Kodak Theater in Los Ange...

What do former Philipppine First Lady Imelda Romualdez- Marcos and US- born Fil-Am student Christa Olandria have in common? Both are obviously beautiful Filipinas who at some point in their lives have reigned as beauty queens; Imelda being a one- time Miss Manila courtesy of the late Manila Mayor Arsenio "Arsenic" Lacson (who was once rumored to be Imee's father) and Christa as the reigning Miss Rutgers University , that State University in New Jersey whose women's NCAA basketball team brought the downfall of colorful radio personality, the "racist" Don Imus months earlier. Both have held elective positions with Imelda being a one- time Governor, Assemblyman and Congressman in the Philippines and Christa as the Rutgers Livingston College Class President of 2007 on the other side of the globe. And both are being accused of robbery and facing charges in court although their similarities end there-- For Imelda is the Mother of All Thieves ; she share...

Most people are encumbered by the choices in front of them. In this particular case and situation, many will have a dilemma but in my case I have a great “trilemma” on what to watch on TV tonight. You see, there are three shows that I really need to watch and I don’t have Tivo and there lies the rub. Anyway, I’ll do what I am expected to do. I have mastered this discipline a long, long time ago and I am an expert now in this undertaking and with it I like my chances in my calloused fingers. In case you're wondering wtf I am talking about- the art of channel surfing, that is. I will just relax and enjoy the whole thing while having an ice- cold Belgian White Ale in my hand and some unsalted mixed nuts to munch on for the night. Sing No Sad Song for The Sopranos "So, Whadaya know? This sh*t is finally done." Tonight will be the final episode of the highly- acclaimed TV Show The Sopranos that has caught the average viewer’s fancy for the last 8 years...

Yesterday Lea Salonga performed in the 21st Stars in the Alley an annual free concert by Broadway’s biggest stars in the historic Shubert Alley . She sang I Dreamed a Dream and despite the wind (for unknown reasons it's always windy in there or at least during the time that I was there), noise, bad audio and distractions gave the audience an “earful” of what Fantine should really sound which is a lot better than her predecessor in the current revival of Les Miserables . Daphne Rubin- Vega's... "My Right Shoe and Shubert Alley" The Alley on W. 44th St and W. 45th St. at Seventh Avenue is the place where aspiring actors congregate hoping for a chance to land a part in theater baron Sam S. Shubert 's production in the old days. Here is a clip of the billboards in the alley I took last Friday the 13th April 2007. n.b. Don't Forget to watch the live coverage of the 61st Tony Awards on June 10 at 8 p.m. on CBS

Here's Lea Salonga as the spoken voice of Mrs. Yasuko Kusakabe in the star- studded Disney version of Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro that was released last March 7, 2006. Incidentally, Mr. Miyazaki is the Japanese Animated Film Master behind the very popular and 2001 Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Feature Spirited Away ( Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi 千と千尋の神隠し) Visit the Ghibli link My Neighbor Totoro

Here are "raw" excerpts from The Adventures of the Dragonfly- Eaters. Spirit of the Glass The death of Tay Isko one lonely April night heralds the ascension of Romeda to fame, fortune and notoriety. Tay Isko was the lone Albularyo* in the barrio: He was a real healer, fortune teller and a natural leader rolled into one. He was a respected man of many talents and a genuine Basagan* He walks with a swagger of a proud man while at the same time spewing healing words, chewing on his toothless cud and spiting the juice of his favorite Nganga* to the ground. He can see the future in your palms and tell the significance of every mole in your body at a glance. His eyes is a mirror of your soul and in his hands lie the best cure for every curse imaginable but a day after he healed the cross-eyed Antonio, he was found naked and dead in his bed. Rumors had it that he died of the dreaded Bangungot* after eating a full meal of Adobong Manok and chasing them with several bottles of La...

I took these footage clips of Lea Salonga signing autographs after her Les Miserables performance outside the Broadhurst Theater . It was way, way past 11 in the evening and yet a lot of her fans waited for her to emerge from the backstage door just to catch a glimpse of her, have her autograph and have their pictures taken with her to cap their wonderful evening and complete their Lea’s Miz Memories. There were a lot of Filipinos in the audience and Lea was mobbed by the crowd wherein majority of them were Pinay nurses. Cameron Mackintosh should thank Lea Salonga for helping the show draw more crowds from the Filipino community who usually come in droves night in and night out. This was taken on April 10, 2007 the night where I watched the show. Talasan n’yo ang mga mata n’yo at baka may kilala kayo sa mga “magugulong” Pilipino sa Broadway! The next two flicks were taken on Friday the 13th after watching the Mel Brooks musical, The Producers at the St. James Theater which is just ac...

Yoyoy Villame (1938- 2007) His music was part of my youth when childhood friends in the province would sing his songs over bottles and bottles of the Philippine National Drink , the stainless Ginebra San Miguel in endless drinking sessions that would last until the wee hours of the morning. His Philippine Geography, Magellan, Hayop na Combo, Butsekik and many others once ruled the cold and dreary nights of Tiwi, Albay wherein intoxicated young men would play his music on their heavily- bandaged Lumanog guitars under the streetlight by the dusty roadside that would always elicit good- natured laughter from the usual kibitzers and passers- by. Although I never really learned the entire lyrics of his songs but during those times it was fun and a necessary break from our usual stuff of slow rock and new wave music. Let’s give Yoyoy another round of applause and let him entertain us one more time. Visit Unchanged Melodies for more of Yoyoy's Pinoy Music

Since I am still on the recovery mode “mojo-wise” I’ll just post here some old published poems that I have written in the past while I am laboring for my latest post for this blog that I have been neglecting lately. Actually I’ve been working on some stuffs that I have set aside for a long time. Just some old crazy stories from way back. I’ll let you take a peek of some of them here in the near future. But for now bear with me and my 'makata' side. I have written these poems nearly after more than a decade of self- imposed hiatus which lasted from 1991 to 2002 when I finally emerged from my funk and got my groove again and began submitting poems for publication. Come to think of it, I lost more than a decade writing- wise, beat that! Now, I thank the geeks and the Mighty One up above for the internet and computers for without them, I will not be able to write again ‘coz every time I try to put my thoughts on paper, my mind is running so fast that my hand can’t keep up with all ...

Spring is here… And the trees are turning evergreen and the flowers are all in bloom. Yet for the past four days, I can’t will myself to spring into action. I am just too lazy these days… Too lazy to cook-- For four straight days now, I’ve been on a very unhealthy diet-- I've been gorging on McDo McGriddles or Burger King Angus meal for Breakfast, the $5 Chinese Buffet for lunch and Applebees New York Strip for dinner. Yes, I am gaining some weight and my belly is growing on a daily basis. But what can I do? I am just a sloth nowadays too crazy to go on a diet, holding on to the false belief that I can get rid of the love handles faster than I could swallow a piece of a hot Burrito. Well, maybe I’ll start pumping some iron again and do that Navy SEAL workout that I’ve been planning to do for the longest time and maybe succeed in having rows of "pandesals" in my lousy abs. Too lazy to get out of bed-- The early bird gets the worm? Nah, I’d rather...

Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro, Cinco de Mayo! Contrary to popular beliefs, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day rather it is the commemoration of the victory of the Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin over a superior French Occupational Forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Like St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo has crossed cultural boundaries in the United States wherein the celebration is wildly observed not only in areas where there is a large Hispanic population but also in areas where diversity is encouraged. Also the fact that in Capitalist America, every entrepreneur or businessman worth his money would do everything to concoct every gimmick and opportunity to lure party-going people into their business establishments for a good time. Thus, you can see an Irish Bar advertising a Cinco de Mayo night wherein Guinness and Jameson have been edged by Corona and Cuervo from its traditional place. Or steaks and burgers gave way to Fajitas, Tacos and Burr...

Yes, Aaron and Alexander... Les Miserables Broadway Revival stars Aaron Lazar who plays the flag- waving revolutionary student leader Enjolras and sings- "Red, the blood of angry men. Black, the dark of ages past. Red, a world about to dawn. Black , the night that ends at last." in one of the highlights of the magnificent show and Alexander Gemignani (left, seen here with Norm Lewis a.k.a.Inspector Javert) who portrays Jean Valjean one of the main characters in the Broadway musical adaptation of the Victor Hugo Classic Novel. I Caught them on cam while signing Playbill programs at the backstage door of the Broadhurst Theater 4.13.2007. P.S. Aaron Lazar like Norm Lewis (Javert), Celia Keenan- Bolger (Eponine)and Jenny Galloway (Madame Thenardier) left the show last April 22 and were replaced by Max von Essen, Ben Davis, Mandy Bruno and Ann Harada respectively. Watch them perform here: Norm Lewis "Stars" Celia Keenan- Bolger ...

Some of my Filipino friends have experienced being “questioned’ in the gym, at the YMCA and other public places by some people who are obviously ignorant and guilty of stereotyping people from other races as one and the same based on the color of their skin, facial features, etc. etc. etc. Two of them were Pinoys of Chinese descent and on separate occasions were asked by a group of men in places where they usually go for their daily work out/ exercise. And the exchange goes like--- “Hey, are you Korean?” said one of the man in a group playing basketball to Juan. “No, I’m a Filipino,” Juan answered. “Oh, you Orientals, you all look the same!” said Sam the obvious leader of the group as the others laugh in unison. Juan just kept mum and let the obvious slur passed and continued with his business. This is just one of the fall- outs of the tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech just weeks ago. I have told several friends to expect about this kind of things to happen especially when the med...

Seen on a Wyandotte, Michigan Flower Shop. Is the owner related to Casimiro Bokaykay a.k.a. Cashmere Bouquet when he Americanized his name and settled here? I think not.

At first glance even if you don’t know it yet you will instantly wonder at the back of your mind whether they have Filipino blood running inside their well- toned bodies. Guess what? Gut feeling or whatever you may call it was proven true in this case. Aside from Lea Salonga , there are two other actors essaying the parts of two of the lead characters in the current Les Miserables on Broadway where we can put it this way has-- Philippine connection . Adam Jacobs and Ali Ewoldt portrays the roles of student/rebel Marius and Fantine ’s daughter Cosette respectively for their Broadway debuts in the “revival” of Les Miz and are now earning raves and accolades for their performances. These Fil- Ams are just two of the many very talented young actors/actresses who breathed life to Victor Hugo’s characters in his classic novel put to stage and music by the dynamic duo of Alain Boublil and Claude- Michel Schonberg and produced by mega- producer Cameron Mackintosh. Incidentally, thes...