Born On This Day- December 31st... Jule Styne

Readers have been in the know that my favorite musical is Gypsy, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim & music by Jule Styne. Before he left us, Styne had written 2,000 songs, published 1,500 & had 200 hits. Styne: "I'm talking about hit hits, the others were popular, but there were 200 hit hits." Those hits included: It's Been a Long, Long Time, It's Magic, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, Time After Time, 5 Minutes More.

In Hollywood, he teamed up with Sammy Cahn on romantic ballads: I've Heard That Song Before, I'll Walk Alone & 3 Coins in the Fountain. On Broadway, he shifted from satire- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, with Leo Robin, to drama- Funny Girl, with Bob Merrill, also working with the great Betty Comden & Adolph Green on musical comedies- including 2 on the Aisle & Bells Are Ringing.

Styne: "I had 15 # 1 songs with Sammy Cahn. He loved that big-band sound, so every song had that big-band sound. Then I read lyrics by Yip Harburg & Leo Robin & I thought, 'I'd like to write to those kinds of words.' Yip's syllables & sounds tingle with music. Leo had a wonderful edge, a suave & very sophisticated way of comedy."

His songs often shared the stamp of the singers who introduced them: Carol Channing, Judy Holliday, Doris Day, Mary Martin, Barbra Streisand & Ethel Merman.

Born in London to Russian Jews in 1905, Styne moved to NYC & became a vocal coach & conductor for the Broadway musicals, which led to a job in Hollywood with 20th Century Fox, coaching Shirley Temple & Constance Bennett.

He said he changed his name at the suggestion of an executive of the Music Corporation of America, who told him that "Stein" seemed "too Jewish." He was also being confused with Dr. Jules Stein, the head of the Music Corporation.

Paramount borrowed Styne for the 1942 musical- Sweater Girl. He wrote songs including I Don't Want to Walk Without You, with Frank Loesser. The team turned out hits including: It's Been a Long, Long Time & I've Heard That Song Before. Many of their songs were written for Frank Sinatra, with whom Mr. Styne had a close if uneven relationship over the years.

Styne said he never liked working in the movies, even though he received an Oscar for 3 Coins in the Fountain & 7 nominations. Styne: "I didn't like a director telling me what song goes where. I was not pleased with Hollywood's adaptations of Gypsy & Funny Girl. The movies destroyed every musical they ever made from the stage.”

In 1959, Gypsy, his only collaboration with Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the lyrics, the pairing brought out the best in both of them. Frank Rich: "They brought out something in each other's talent that cannot quite be found in their extraordinary separate careers."

Hallelujah, Baby!, his 18th show, finally brought Styne a Tony. He was among the 5 artists honored in 1990 by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington for their cultural contributions to the nation. In 1992, he received the New Dramatists Lifetime Achievement Award. Styne was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the American Theatre Hall of Fame, & he was a recipient of a Drama Desk Special Award.

He was still composing in 1994 when his spotlight was shut off. Styne in 1990: "I've had a goodly life & I'm working as hard as I've ever worked. A sunny day when I can sit down & write, that's what makes life so good. The brain is an amazing thing. I could sit down to write 9 songs right now, & I don't know what would come out. That's the wonder of it all."

My favorite Jule Stein song is Neverland from Pete Pan, lyrics by Comden & Green:

I have a place where dreams are born

& time is never planned

It's not on any chart

You must find it with your heart

Never Never Land.

It might be miles beyond the moon,

Or right there where you stand.

Just keep an open mind

& then suddenly you'll find

Never Never Land

You'll have a treasure if you stay there

More precious far than gold.

For once you have found your way there

You can never, never grow old

& that's my home where dreams are born

& time is never planned

Just think of lovely things

& your heart will fly on wings

Forever in Never Never Land.

You'll have a treasure if you stay there

More precious far than gold

For once you have found your way there

You can never, never grow old

& that's my home where dreams are born

& time is never planned

Just think of lovely things

& your heart will fly on wings

Forever in Never Never Land

Styne/Comden/Green

1960

Bebe & Me

When I lived in NYC in the mid-1970s, & I was studying at HB Studios, I was living with my friend- WCK3 ( who was studying at Julliard) & I working at ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers). This was a fabulous job as a “music monitor”. I had a small cubicle in the ASCAP building, with a huge window that looked out at Lincoln Center & a smack on view of the Chagall tapestries at the Metropolitan Opera House. It remains one of my favorite jobs of all time, & one of the perks was frequent house seats for Broadway musicals.

The big musical of the moment was a little thing called- A Chorus Line, but my own favorite current broadway show was the somewhat less popular- Chicago. I loved this show, directed & choreographed by Bob Fosse & I saw it when ever I got a chance. It starred Chita Rivera, Jerry Orbach & Gwen Verdon. At some point,Gwen Verdon fell ill, the victim of swallowing a feather from her costume & she was replaced for 1 month by someone named Liza Minnelli. I was so excited to see Liza up close & personal. ASCAP secured, for me, 2 tickets for her 1st night in the role. WCK3 could not attend, but he suggested that I bring his friend & classmate at Julliard- Bebe.

I felt bad that I had been taunting Bebe, because she shared a name with the Seattle Zoo’s famous gorilla. Beebee & BoBo were a very famous gorilla couple at the Seattle Zoo, & WCK3’s friend had to suffer through my gorilla jokes. I was glad to have a date for Liza’s Chicago debut, & Bebe seemed to have forgiven my ribbing. We had a great date at the theatre, with drinks at Joe Allen’s after the show. I wish that I had been portentous at the time, about my date was Bebe Neuwirth. I would loved to have told her that she would someday go on to win a Tony Award as Velma Kelly, in the most successful revival in Broadway history- Chicago (She would also be the 2nd Sheila in that other show- A Chorus Line): “Hey Bebe… someday, you will win a Tony award for this show & you will go on to be a big Broadway & TV star (winning 2 Emmy awards for her take on Dr. Lilith Sternin on Cheers), how about a kiss? She was a swell date. I regret not trying to make out with her at the end of our evening.

Things turned out pretty well for Bebe. Last year she has starred with Nathan Lane in The Aadams Family on Broadway. Bebe never thanks me in her award speeches, although I was the perfect date, footing the cost of the tickets & the drinks, & every bit the gentleman. Today is Bebe Neuwirth’s birthday. I will never forget our date.

New Year Greetings From P-Noy (Transcript)

New Year Greetings From P-Noy

President Noynoy "P-Noy" Aquino wished every Filipino family more blessings and success this 2012 in his pre-recorded New Year message.

President Aquino said that economic development is now evident after treading the straight path, fighting against corruption and making efforts for poverty alleviation, since he took office one and a half years ago. He thanked the public for supporting the government towards reforming the system of governance.

P-Noy added that reforms will not only continue in 2012 but changes will also take effect faster.

Here's the transcript of P-Noy's New Year message:

Sa mahigit isa't kalahating taon nang pagbagtas natin sa tuwid na landas, nakikita na natin ang pagbangon ng bansa, mula sa malubhang katiwalian at kahirapan.

Unti-unti na po tayong nagtatagumpay laban sa mga problemang ating dinatnan.

Ikumpara po natin ang kasalukuyan sa mga panahong lumipas.

Gaano man po katindi ang pagpipilit na magtanim ng agam-agam sa ating isipan, wala naman po sigurong makakapag-dudang nagbago na talaga ang Pilipinas.

Ngayon po, ibinabalik na natin ang piring ng katarungan. Ang kaunlaran ay natatamasa hindi lamang ng mayaman at makapangyarihan, ramdam na rin ng mas nakakarami nating kababayan.

Nakikita naman po natin ang bunga ng ating ipinunlang mga reporma: may maalab na sigla at pag-asa, mataas na kumpiyansa, at malawak at mas maraming mga oportunidad sa bansa.

Ang taon na papasok ay hindi lamang pagpapatuloy ng ating naumpisahang mga reporma, ngunit ng mas mabilis pang pagbabago.

Salamat po sa patuloy ninyong pagsuporta at pagtitiwala. Manalig po kayong hindi kailanman kukupas ang matingkad nating hangarin na umasenso ang Pilipinas at ang mga Pilipino.

Hindi tayo patitisod sa nais pa ring umagrabyado sa mga Pilipino. Sa bayanihan ng ating pamahalaan at mamamayan, wala pong makakahadlang sa ating pag-angat at sa tuloy-tuloy na katuparan ng ating mga pangarap.

Magpasalamat at bigyang-halaga po sana natin ang mga grasya ng Panginoon ngayong taon.

Hangad ko pong makatamasa pa ng maraming biyaya at tagumpay ang mas nakakaraming pamilyang Pilipino.

Isang masaganang bagong taon po sa ating lahat.

Born On This Day- December 31st... Canadian Polymath Douglas Coupland

I certainly love our neighbors to the north. Margaret Atwood, Kurt Browning, Michael Bublé, Raymond Burr, Kim Cattrall, John Candy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, k d lang, who would want a world without Canadians? The Husband & I were married in Vancouver BC on our 25th anniversary of couplehood.

I first came upon Vancouver B.C.’s Douglas Coupland when the vacation home he shares with his husband was featured in the NY Times. The article revealed that the couple’s second home was directly behind their primary residence. In Seattle, The Husband & I had a second home, a 150 square foot barge on Lake Union, that was within walking distance of our 700 square foot cottage in the Wallingford neighborhood. I knew that I would dig around & get to know this Coupland fellow.

Coupland’s first novel- Generation X was published in 1991. I guess the title had some impact on our culture, giving a name to the post-Boomers & the term McJobs. In the next 2 decades, he wrote 13 novels, a collection of short stories, 8 volumes of nonfiction, the official guide to the Vancouver Olympics, stage plays, & screenplays.

It isn’t enough that he has created books & scripts, Coupland is a visual artist. Recently he designed the Monument to the War of 1812 in Toronto, iconic sculptures in Canoe Landing Park in downtown Toronto. His tribute to Canada's fallen firefighters in Ottawa is unveiled in March, 2012. Coupland, in collaboration with Roots, designed a popular collection of summer streetwear.

Hornet Nest 1 & 2

Downy Bottle #1

Blocks

Coupland claims to work 7 days a week & to never have taken a vacation.

Coupland has written a series of suggestions for surviving the future. Here are a few that I have taken to heart:

“It's going to get worse .No silver linings & no lemonade. The elevator only goes down. The bright note is that the elevator will, at some point, stop.”

“The middle class is over. It's not coming back. Remember travel agents? Remember how they just kind of vanished one day? That's where all the other jobs that once made us middle-class are going – to that same, magical, class-killing, job-sucking wormhole into which travel-agency jobs vanished, never to return. However, this won't stop people from self-identifying as middle-class, & as the years pass we'll be entering a replay of the antebellum South, when people defined themselves by the social status of their ancestors 3 generations back. Enjoy the new monoclass!”

“North America can easily fragment quickly as did the Eastern Bloc in 1989. Quebec will decide to quietly & quite pleasantly leave Canada. California contemplates splitting into 2 states, fiscal & non-fiscal. Cuba becomes a Club Med with weapons. The Hate States will form a coalition.”

“Your sense of time will continue to shred. Years will feel like hours.

“It is going to become much easier to explain why you are the way you are. Much of what we now consider “personality” will be explained away as structural & chemical functions of the brain.”

“You're going to miss the 1990s more than you ever thought.”

“Stupid people will be in charge, only to be replaced by ever-stupider people. You will live in a world without kings, only princes in whom our faith is shattered.”

“IKEA will become an ever-more-spiritual sanctuary.”

“Dreams will get better”

“Being alone will become easier”

“Expect less… Not zero, just less.”

Born On This Day- December 31st... Taylor Mead

I met him at a holiday party hosted by my acting teacher- Austin Pendelton & I figured that we might possibly become friends & he would be my entrance to Andy Warhol's Factory, another step closer to fame.

Tennessee Williams: "All art is a scandal. Life tries to be. Taylor Mead succeeds. I come close". It took a long time for any one to have any reason to think of Taylor Mead as something other than a lonely old barfly living in a squalid apartment, feeding cats & mining mumbled memories.

In fact, Mead has been at the heart of the American avant-garde and counterculture for over 6 decades. A bridge between the Beat movement & the New York art world of the 1960s, he has remained an important creative force, as a writer, a performer & a muse for filmmaker Jim Jarmusch who featured Mead affectionately in Coffee &Cigarettes (2003).

Mead was initially discovered as a poet, but he soon became a leading onscreen figure in American experimental & independent Film, as well as an important collaborator off-screen, contributing to the editing & soundtracks of the films in which he appears.

Born in 1924 to a prominent Grosse Point family, Mead grew up gay at a time when it was not just scandalous but dangerous. He was disowned by his family & he left & fled to the freedom of NYC’s bohemian circles in the 1940s where he became a fixture on the poetry scene. He relocated to San Francisco like so many The Beats. In California, Mead began a collaboration with aspiring filmmaker Ron Rice, starring role in the sensitive The Flower Thief (1960). The film’s tremendous success brought Mead to the attention of artists working in NYC experimental film & theatre. Mead began to appear onstage with major roles in plays by LeRoi Jones & Frank O'Hara, eventually landing a "contract" as one of Andy Warhol's first superstars.

Mead's raunchy & droll performances, are completely unsophisticated & sincere. He has made over 100 movies, 10 with Warhol.

Those who think American indie film began with Quentin Tarantino in the 1990s will be surprised to know that it was the1960s underground cinema that laid the groundwork of what would become the entire independent film movement.

Mead turns 87 years old today. He lives in NYC, & still performs & read poetry regularly at The Bowery Poetry Club. His latest book of poems is called A Simple Country Girl. He was the subject of a documentary- Excavating Taylor Mead, which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2005. The film shows him engaging in his nightly habit of feeding stray cats in an East Village cemetery after bar-hopping, & features a cameo by Jim Jarmusch, in which Jarmusch explains that once, when Mead went to Europe, he enlisted Jarmusch's brother to feed the cemetery cats in Mead's absence.

Mead is a beloved icon of the downtown NYC art scene since the 1960s. He continues to be charming, with a wry outlook & dry delivery Mead: “Warhol was a genius. Of course, Hitler was a genius, too ...".

In the mid 1970s, Gary Weis made a short film of Mead for Saturday Night Live that featured Mead talking to his cat in the kitchen of his Ludlow Street apartment on the Lower East Side. The film is titiled- Taylor Mead's Cat.

Gratuitous

My chairs look like assholes.

That's another nickle in the old swear barrel for me.

Well they do.  I bought a pair of super awesome 1950s chartreuse dining chairs for five bucks at a roadside flea market last spring.  I love them so much.

Chartreuse floral vinyl and Chrome?   Yes please. 

We're selling the house.

My real estate agent told me to hide them because they might "turn off buyers".  PSH.  Buyers don't know what's hip like I do.  Readers, they don't know.

So I had to put these stupid dresses on them.  My breakfast nook looks like a lesbian wedding now.  I mean, don't get me wrong, Readers, these chairs are 60 years old and certainly capable of making a decision together, but where do we draw the line?  Before we know it, chairs will want to marry the garage or my luscious crane mobile.  What then, Canada?  WHAT.  THEN?  It's chairs and the table, not chairs and the stable.  I'm making a sign straight away.   People need to wake up.
 

And then?  Pretend the computer on the table is a kindly priest. 

Actually, I don't know what I'm still talking about.   My point is that my chairs looked better when they were being themselves but I got totally sidetracked pretending to be a furniture bigot.

Whassat?  Oooh!  Beer!  Gotta jet.

Cebu Pacific announces domestic 'Piso Fare'

Cebu Pacific Seat Sale - December 31, 2011

Cebu Pacific announced a 'Piso Fare' promo at noontime, today. Base fare for some domestic flights of the local career has been set to P1. The flights include the following:

---Manila to Cebu
---Cebu to Bacolod, Caticlan, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Clark, Davao, Dipolog, Dumaguete, General Santos, Iloilo, Kalibo, Legazpi, Ozamiz, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa, Siargao, Surigao, Tacloban, or Zamboanga
---Cagayan de Oro to Iloilo
---Davao to Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo or Zamboanga
---Zamboanga to Tawi-Tawi

Only tickets for flights scheduled on February 1 - March 31, 2012 are on sale. The sale will end on January 2, 2012 or until seats last.

Reminders: 

---Quoted fares are one way. Limited availability. Fares are non-refundable.
---Fares are exclusive of government fees, taxes and fuel surcharges.
---Flight changes must be made more than 24 hours before scheduled time of departure.

Philippine Azkals, Internacional de Madrid CF face off this January 7th

Philippine Azkals vs Internacional de Madrid C.F.

The Philippine Azkals will go up against Spain's 3rd division football team Internacional de Madrid C.F. this 2012 for a "practice game" at the same time a fund-raiser for the benefit of Bagyong Sendong victims in Northern Mindanao. The proceeds from the charity match will be allocated for all projects aimed at providing health assistance and other forms of aid to the victims of the calamity.

The game will be held at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila on January 7th at 4:00 p.m.

Tickets for the Philippine Azkals vs Internacional de Madrid C.F match, the cheapest reportedly priced at P100, can be availed from Ticketworld outlets starting January 2nd.

The Philippine Azkals will be joined by a selection of players from the United Football League in the upcoming game.

Note: Sorry for the error committed earlier. Again, (especially to the 30 people who have viewed this page) it's Internacional de Madrid C.F. not Real Madrid C.F.

Top 10 Songs Of 2011

The Husband & I had a New Year's ritual for decades We would prepare a list of our top 10 albums of the year & our favorite track from each. On the evening of New Year's Eve, when we would return home after working, we would open our envelopes & starting with #10, we would announce & listen to each of our choices. We would do this while drinking Champagne. We would become rather intoxicated by the time we got to our #1s & we would become woozily sentimental, bursting into tears from spending time with our favorites, which of course often overlapped, but the choices were almost always ranked differently. Then we would make out & have drunk sex while the music played on.

The ritual fell aside with the downloading of tunes instead of buying LPs & eventually moving to CDs. I have not purchased a CD since Amy Winehouse's Back To Black (a nearly perfect album) in 2006. 

In that spirit, I offer up my favorite songs of 2011. You don't have to get drunk (well, maybe a little Champagne), make out or have sex... but, I would be interested in your choices for Best Songs of 2011. Care to share?

Top 10 Favorite Songs of 2011:
Pumped Up Kicks- Foster The People
Rolling In The Deep- Adele
I Won’t Let You Go- James Morrison
The Lazy Song- Bruno Mars
Moneygrabber- Fitz & The Tantrums
That Is Why We Fight- The Decemberists
Shake It Out- Florence + The Machine
Poison & Wine- Civil Wars
Calgary- Bon Iver
Our Day Will Come- Amy Winehouse

Tyron Perez found dead in Valenzuela

Tyron Perez dead

Actor Tyron Perez (born Jojo Perez) was found dead inside a black Toyota Altis in Barangay Ugong, Valenzuela City Thursday night, according to reports.

He was 26.

Reports say that the apparent cause of Tyron Perez' death was suicide. However, there is no official police report yet regarding the cause of death as of posting time.

Developing story...

Update: According to ABS-CBN,  police are still investigating on the cause of death.

The police reportedly found a fatal gunshot wound on the actor's right temple as well as a .22-calibre firearm beside his lifeless body.

Tyron Perez started his showbiz career as a member of MSP Teenstars of "Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman" in 2001. He then joined the pioneering batch of GMA-7's reality star search "Starstruck" in 2003. After that, he appeared on a number of shows on GMA-7, then on TV 5.

Just last June 2010, he transferred to the Kapamilya network. One of his last projects in ABS-CBN was "Mula Sa Puso" remake where he played the role of "Gilbert".

Celebrities' tweets

Some celebrities tweeted about Tyrone Perez' death. Among them were the following:

Tim Yap

"RIP, young actor Tyrone Perez."

"Reports say that actor Tyrone Perez committed suicide. #RIPTyrone"

Chokoleit

"Tyrone Perez, RIP. Had a chance to work with him in the indie film, METLOGS w/ Paolo Ballesteros. Prayers for the eternal peace of his soul."

Bekimon

"Shocked ako sa news about Tyron Perez... OMG! Magkakatext pa kami kagabi"

"Nagriring pa phone ni Tyron. Huhuhu Kaninang 2:11am, out of the blue, nagtxt sya sa akin sabi nya "Moveyahbody" then wala na sya reply"

Sarah Lahbati

"R.I.P Tyron"

Francine Prieto

"RIP Tyrone Perez salamat sa maasim na mangga at bagoong na may baboy at sa hopia from binondo, isa kang mabait na tao."

Coleen Garcia

"RIP tyron perez ? you will definitely be missed."

MMFF 2011 winners at the box office race (Day 3 Tally)

MMFF 2011 winners at the box office race

The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2011 winners have been revealed last night in a glittering awarding ceremony held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at Resorts World Manila in Pasay City. Check out the results HERE.

While Gov. ER Ejercito's "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story" emerged as the big winner of yesterday's Awards Night, sweeping the technical awards and bagging the Best Picture, the action movie still has to earn more ticket sales to win or even just catch up at the box office race.

According to the 3-day box-office figures released by MMFF Executive Chairman Francis Tolentino, the action movie earned P7,957,716.50, just 6th among the 7 participating movies.

"Enteng ng Ina Mo", the debut pairing of box office royalties Vic Sotto and Ai-Ai de las Alas, is on the number 1 spot with P91, 892,997.10 while Sen. Bong Revilla's "Ang Panday 2" collected P51,527,616.00 and on the second place.

Check out below the full tally of the official MMFF 2011 3-day gross (December 25-27, 2011):

1. Enteng ng Ina Mo - P91, 892,997.10
2. Panday 2 -P51,527,616.00
3. Segunda Mano - P46,931,780.05
4. Shake, Rattle & Roll 13 - P22,756,512.30
5. My Househusband, Ikaw Na! - P20,839,817.10
6. Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story - P7,957,716.50
7. Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow - P4,089,922.50*

*There is a discrepancy on the reports regarding the earnings of  "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow." Kris Aquino earlier tweeted that the Regal Films movie raked in P10.1 million on the opening day. Let's just wait for Box Office Mojo's and the coming reports from MMFF executive committee to see if there is indeed an error in this initial report.

Death Cab for Cutie Live in Manila 2012 Concert | Ticket Prices, Venue and Schedule

American alternative rock band Death Cab for Cutie is coming to Manila for a one-night concert this 2012.

Death Cab for Cutie Live in Manila 2012 Concert

 According to singer Rico Blanco, the Death Cab for Cutie Live in Manila 2012 concert will be held on March 5, 2012 at the NBC Tent in Global City, Taguig.


"CONFIRMED! Death Cab for Cutie LIVE in MANILA, March 5, 2012, 7pm NBC Tent, Global City, Taguig. I'll post more info re ticket prices and other details here as soon as i get them, hopefully this afternoon," Rico Blanco announced on Facebook.

Ticket prices and other details will also be posted here once available.

Update: Ticket prices are as follows:

VIP (STANDING) - P3800
GOLD (STANDING) - P2500

Tickets are can be purchased at Ticketnet outlets. For more details, call 911-5555 or visit www.ticketnet.com.ph.

Composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Chris Walla (guitar, production, keyboards), Nick Harmer (bass) and Jason McGerr (drums), Death Cab for Cutie was formed in 1997 by Ben Gibbard as a side project from Pinwheel. The American indie pop group has released seven studio albums, five extended plays (EPs), a demo tape, a digital album, fifteen singles, nine music videos, and two DVDs. Among the band's popular songs are "Soul Meets Body" and "I Will Possess Your Heart".

Blame It On My Youth

If I expected love when first we kissed,

Blame it on my youth.

If only for you I did exist,

Blame it on my youth.

I believed in everything,

Like a child of three;

You meant more than anything,

All the world to me!

If you were on my mind

 All night & day,

Blame it on my youth.

If I forgot to eat & sleep & pray,

Blame it on my youth.

If I cried a little bit

When first I learned the truth,

Don't blame it on my heart,

Blame it on my youth.

 

Chet Baker, I just love it... but you should here me do it. Really.

Levant

1934

Born On This Day- December 27th... Oscar Levant

"Roses are red, violets are blue,
I am schizophrenic, & so am I."

One of my favorite people of the 20th century-Alexander Woollcott, a member of the Algonquin Round Table, once said of him: "There's absolutely nothing wrong with Oscar Levant that a miracle can't fix."

Open about his neuroses & hypochondria, Oscar Levant, was addicted to prescription pills & was frequently committed to mental hospitals. Despite his afflictions, Levant was considered a genius in many disciplines. Levant: "There's a fine line between genius & insanity. I have erased this line."

Levant was sad, ironic & self-deprecating & wildly talented. I have every reason to think that he was gay. Levant's life proves to be more interesting than that of his good friend, the legendary George Gershwin, whom he possibly was involved romantically. Perhaps this is because he lived for so much longer, & because of Levant's numerous talents other than music.

Levant was a notorious wit; he was so funny that he could afford to be obnoxious & insulting & still count on being a welcome guest in the homes of his many celebrity friends.

A perceptive musical theorist, Levant knew the art of composing for films; it was he who coined the phrase "Mickey Mousing," in reference to movie scores that slavishly commented upon the action. The longer he stayed in Hollywood, the more he became famous as a "character" rather than a musician.

The public first became aware of Levant's acidic wit when he was a frequent guest on the Information Please radio program. After 1940, he spent more time as an actor: Humoresque (1945), Rhapsody in Blue (1945), The Barkeleys of Broadway (1949) & O. Henry's Full House (1952), in which he co-starred with Fred Allen in the Ransom of Red Chief segment. He was at his best in 2 classic MGM musicals: An American in Paris (1951), where he appears in a dream sequence, playing every member of the orchestra in a performance of Gershwin's Concerto in F; & The Band Wagon (1953), in which he & Nanette Fabray play characters based on Adolph Green & Betty Comden.

Oscar Levant's personality can be summed up by a pair of his most oft-repeated witticisms: "In some moments I was difficult, in odd moments impossible, in rare moments loathsome, but at my best unapproachably great;" & the self-deprecating "I am the world's oldest child prodigy."

The son of a Pittsburgh repairman, Oscar Levant went to NYC at 16 to study music under such masters as Stojowski, Schoenberg & Schillinger (I just can’t stop with the alliteration). Before reaching his 20th birthday, he had gained renown as a concert pianist, teacher, band leader & composer. In the early 1930s, he played a minor role in the stage play Burlesque with Cher. During his time in Hollywood, Levant became BFFs with George Gershwin & by the mid-1930s Levant was perhaps the greatest interpreter of Gershwin's works in the world.

While he continued with his popularity & circle of friends into the 1960s, Levant's mood swings & increasingly erratic behavior began having professional repercussions. He was nearly banned from television when he quipped about Marilyn Monroe's conversion to Judaism: "Now that Marilyn Monroe is kosher, Arthur Miller can eat her". As time went on, only late-night host Jack Paar would risk having Levant as a guest, & when Paar left TV in 1965, so, for all intents and purposes, did Levant. Paar in later years would sign off by saying, "Good night, Oscar Levant, wherever you are."

In & out of mental institutions during his last 2 decades; his final film, Cobweb (1955), was set in a sanitarium, in real life he became dependent upon pain-killers & other prescription drugs. Despite his deteriorating physical & mental condition, he was able to turn out 3 terrific memoirs: A Smattering of Ignorance, The Unimportance Of Being Oscar & The Memoirs Of An Amnesiac. Oscar Levant died of a heart attack in 1972 at the age of 66.

He composed one of my favorite songs of all time - Blame It On My Youth, a song in my own repitoire.

Here are just some of his quips:

“Spinoza said rituals are all based on fear. My faith destroyed, I put down the book.”

"What the world needs is more geniuses with humility, there are so few of us left."

"So little time & so little to do..."

"I'm a concert pianist, that's a pretentious way of saying I'm unemployed at the moment."

"I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin."

"I have one thing to say about psychoanalysis: fuck Dr. Freud."

"The only difference between the Democrats & the Republicans is that the Democrats allow the poor to be corrupt, too."

"Everyone in Hollywood is gay, except Gabby Hayes... & that's because he is a transvestite."

"It's not a pretty face, I grant you but underneath its flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character."

When asked by Jack Paar what he does for exercise, he replied, "I stumble, then fall into a coma."

"Leonard Bernstein is revealing musical secrets that have been common knowledge for centuries."

Asked by Jack Paar to describe his reaction to Milton Berle converting to become a Christian Scientist- "Our loss is their loss."

"The best kind of guests are the ones that know when to leave!"

“Happiness isn't something you experience; it's something you remember.”

“I don't drink. I don't like it. It makes me feel good.”

“I envy people who drink - at least they know what to blame everything on.”

“I have given up reading books; I find it takes my mind off myself.”

"Strip away the false tinsel from Hollywood, & you find the real tinsel inside."

"It's not what you are, it's what you don't become that hurts."

“Every time I look at you I get a fierce desire to be lonesome.”

“I am no more humble than my talents require.”

I've been in 4 hospitals in the last 6 years. I've had insulin shock therapy, electroshock therapy & psychotherapy. One of these days, I'm going to do this show in white tie & straitjacket."

Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2011 Winners

Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2011 Winners

The 37th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) awarding ceremony is currently being held at the Resorts World Performing Arts Theater.

So far, here are the awards that have been handed out to their recipients:

MMFF 2011 Winners

Best Float - "Ang Panday 2"
Best Production Design - "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"
Best in Editing -  "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story" (Jason Cahapay and Ryan Orduna)
Best Musical Score - "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story" (Nonong Buencamino)
Best Sound Recording - "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story" (Mike Idioma)
Best Festival Visual Effects - "Ang Panday 2" (Riot, Inc.)
Best Make-Up - "Enteng ng Ina Mo"
Best Festival Original Theme Song - "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story" ("La Paloma" by Ely Buendia) noypistuff
Best Cinematography - "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story" (Carlo Mendoza)
Gender Sensitivity Award - "My Househusband"
Best Festival Child Performer - Bugoy Cariño ("Shake, Rattle & Roll 13")
Best Festival Supporting Actor - John Regala ("Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story")
Best Festival Supporting Actress - Eugene Domingo ("My Househusband")
Best Story - "Shake, Rattle & Roll 13" ("Rain, Rain Go Away")
Best Screenplay - "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story" (Roi Iglesias and Rey Ventura)
Gatpuno Antonio Villegas Cultural Award - "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"
Best Festival Director - Darell dela Cruz ("Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story")
Best Actor - Dingdong Dantes ("Segunda Mano")
Best Actress - Maricel Soriano ("Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow")
Best Festival Picture: "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"
2nd Best Festival Picture: "Enteng ng Ina Mo"
3rd Best Festival Picture: "Shake, Rattle and Roll 13"

Special Awards:

Male Kutis Ganda Celebrity Award - Ryan Agoncillo
Female Kutis Ganda Celebrity Award - Ai Ai de las Alas
Celebrity Sexiest Appeal of the Night - ER Ejercito
Celebrity Sexiest Appeal of the Night - Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo
Male Face of the Night - Richard Gomez
Female Face of the Night - Iza Calzado
SMDC Most Glamorous Stars: Iza Calzado and Ryan Agoncillo
Posthumous Award for Excellence – Director/Choreographer Lito Calzado
Lifetime Achievement Award - Eddie Garcia

New Wave - Independent Film Section:

Best New Wave Actor - JM de Guzman ("Pintakasi")
Best New Wave Actress   - Iza Calzado ("HIV")
Best New Wave Full-length Film - "Pintakasi"
Best New Wave Student Short Film - "Mate" and "Payaso" (Tie)
New Wave Section Special Jury Prize - "Biyahe Ni Barbie"
Gender Sensitivity Award (Student Category) - "Speechless"
Gender Sensitivity Award (Full-length Category) - "HIV"

Congrats to the MMFF 2011 Winners!

The telecast of the 2011 MMFF Awards Night reportedly will be aired on ABS-CBN this Sunday, January 1, 2012, at 10:45 p.m.

You can "like" NoypiStuff on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Noypistuff/117502194997452

Giant crocodile Lolong leads Yahoo's 'Top Viral Photos of 2011'

Lolong's photo, this year's top viral photo | Courtesy of Yahoo!

A photo of Lolong, the giant crocodile captured alive in the Philippines and the new record holder for "world's largest crocodile in captivity", is the number 1 viral photo of 2011, according to Yahoo!. The picture which shows Mayor Cox Elorde of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur measuring the large croc using his arms topped Yahoo's list of "Top Viral Photos for 2011" which is part of the search engine's annual Year In Review.

"With millions of images being shared on the Internet every day, it takes a certain measure of magic to become a viral hit. We always keep one finger on the Web pulse, so now we bring you 10 photos that online users could not help but circulate this year, from a shuttle launch to a giant crocodile and a presidential gaffe. A couple of these photos even spawned their own memes, the highest honor in 2011 viral visuals." Yahoo! wrote.

The rest of the photos in the list include the following: a one-eyed albino shark, a kissing couple during a Vancouver riot, Atlantis shuttle launch, a bride searching for her groom after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Virginia, a frozen lake in Canada, Occupy UC Davis protesters pepper-sprayed, lightning striking the Eiffel Tower, President Obama waving and whale nearly swallowing a diver.

Born On This Day- December 27th... Marie Magdalene Dietrich

Don't you continue to find her to be fabulous? She had quite the gay life... Marlene Dietrich, the smoky voiced Gay Icon who ending her cabaret show in the very dangerous 1950s, with this: “Please try to be gay tonight as I know it is so difficult to be gay in the morning.”

Dietrich is an ultra-icon & she had personal relationship with Gay-ness. She chose her men for show & her women for love, lust & laughs. She was a film star when film stars were film stars. Dietrich’s shtick was to be idolized, indomitable & indifferent. She didn’t like mistakes. She was a perfectionist. When her mentor- Joseph von Sternberg, the director of early films: The Blue Angel, Morocco, The Devil Is A Woman, would not relinquish control to her, she gave him up. Like Mae West, Dietrich didn’t let a little thing like a Hollywood run by men dictate what she could do.

Dietrich possessed a profoundly complex personality, including her attitude about sexuality. She had a big attraction gay people from the start of her career: the campiness of her films, her devil-may-care attitude to convention, her trouser-wearing that nearly got her arrested in post-war Paris, & her fabulous voice.

Dietrich’s was bravely anti-Nazi during World War II, she turned her back on her native Germany & for 3 years she worked against Hitler. For her courage & commitment to the Allied cause, she was awarded the Legion d’Honneur in France & the Congressional Medal of Honor in the USA, the highest honors that can be bestowed on a civilian.

Dietrich became an atheist, abandoning her Lutheran faith: "If God exists, he needs to review his plan.” She had honor, humor, &humanity. At a time when it could not have been easy, she gave the world her eye-popping style of sexual liberation. Fred Astaire stated that no one wore a white tuxedo as well as she. She was a woman ahead of her time.

Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally & personally. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage & in silent films. Her performance as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel, directed by Josef von Sternberg, brought her international fame & provided her a contract with Paramount Pictures. Hollywood films such as Shanghai Express & Desire used her glamour and exotic looks, cementing her stardom, making her one of the highest paid actresses of the era. Dietrich became a USA citizen in 1939, throughout WWII she was a high profile frontline entertainer. Although she still made occasional films after the war, Dietrich spent most of the 1950s ,1960s &1970s touring the world as a successful cabaret performer.

Dietrich’s love affairs included women: Mercedes de Acosta, Garbo, Eva Le Gallienne, Isadora Duncan, Colette, & Edith Piaf. Throughout her career Dietrich had an unending string of affairs, some some lasting decades; they often overlapped & were almost all known to her husband, to whom she was in the habit of passing the love letters of her men, along with biting commentary.

During the filming of Destry Rides Again, Dietrich enjoyed a love affair with Jimmy Stewart, which ended after filming. In 1938, Dietrich met and began a relationship with the writer- Erich Maria Remarque, & from 1941-1949, with the French actor & military hero Jean Gabin. Her last great passion, when she was in her 50s, was Yul Brynner. Her love life continued well into her 70s. She conquests included: John Wayne, George Bernard Shaw & John F. Kennedy. Dietrich’s household included her husband & his mistress, first in Europe & eventually on a ranch in the San Fernando Valley, California.

Dietrich was made an honorary citizen of Berlin on 16 May 2002. Her memorial plaque reads:

"Where have all the flowers gone?"
MARLENE DIETRICH
December 12, 1901 - May 6, 1992

Marlene Dietrich, anti-fascist, bi-sexual, movie star, Vegas headliner, fashion icon, recording artist, & Gay Icon. She was friendly with Ronnie & Nancy, but I like to think of what someone like Michelle Bachmann would think of Dietrich, if Bachmann was smart enough to know who she was.

2011 MMFF: 'Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow' disqualified in 4 major awards

2011 MMFF entry "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow"

Regal Entertainment's "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" has been disqualified in four major award categories at the 2011 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) after committing some violations.

According to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino, there were revisions in the script and cast which are against festival rules.

"After the script was approved, iba yung lumabas, iba yung cast [what was shown was different, even the cast was different]. Pareho lang yung title [Only the title was the same]," Tolentino told Radyo Inquirer Tuesday.

Tolentino said the movies were approved to enter the MMFF based on the script submitted earlier this year - major changes on the script are in violation of the rules of the Festival.

And thus, the MMFF executive committee has decided not to include the film in the following awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Gatpuno Villegas Cultural Award.

Tolentino added that movie producer Mother Lily Monteverde admitted the violations.

"Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" is the only straight-on drama in this year's MMFF. Its star-studded cast include Maricel Soriano, Gabby Concepcion, Agot Isidro, Jericho Rosales, Dennis Trillo, Paulo Avelino, Carla Abellana, Lovi Poe and many more.

The 2011 MMFF awards night will be held on December 28, 2011 at the New World Resort Hotel.

Kristine Hermosa gives birth to baby girl

Kristine Hermosa and Oyo Boy Sotto

Kristine Hermosa gave birth to a healthy baby girl Monday evening.

Kristine and her husband Oyo Boy Sotto named their baby Ondrea Bliss. According to Kristine, Ondrea means "strong and courageous" while Bliss means "unmeasurable joy."

Baby Ondrea Bliss was born at 11:49 p.m. via normal delivery. She weighed 5.9lbs upon birth.

Kristine and Oyo tied the knot in January this year in Club Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas after dating for about 5 years. The celebrity couple has a 3-year-old adopted son named Quiel.

Justin Bieber gives his childhood friend a car for Christmas

Justin Bieber's gift to his friend Ryan Butler

If there would be a reason why haters should start befriending Justin Bieber, it would have to be because the teen pop star treats his dear friends extra special during Christmas - he does not mind the price tag when it comes to his gifts to them, at least to his BFF.

Justin Bieber, one of the richest teenagers in the world with his net worth of $85 million, has just bought his childhood best friend Ryan Butler a two-door cream-colored Ford Mustang as Christmas gift.

Ryan Butler tweeted on Monday a photo (the one on the right) of his luxurious Christmas present from his friend with a short message saying "Justin got me a present. #swag!!!"

Justin didn’t post anything about his generous gift on his official Twitter account, but he did post photos of himself at home with his family.

Justin and Ryan grew up together in Stratford, Ontario of Canada. Ryan's parents provided additional parenting for Justin when he was only five years old.

Metro Manila Film Festival 2011 Box Office Tally - Day 2

Metro Manila Film Festival 2011 Box Office Tally - Second day

"Enteng ng Ina Mo" widened its lead in the second day of the Metro Manila Film Festival 2011 (MMFF 2011). After breaking box office records during the opening day with P38.5 million, the debut pairing of box office royalties Vic Sotto and Ai-Ai de las Alas added a whooping P30.46 million to its earnings and now has a 2-day gross of almost P69 million! (very impressive)

The rankings of the other movies in the MMFF 2011 box office tally did not change at all. "Ang Panday 2" is still taking the second spot with P38 million total gross for 2 days while "Segunda Mano" is catching up with P35 million but still third. The rest of the films retain their spots.

Check out below the full 2011 MMFF box office results (estimated Day 1 and 2 earnings only, official figures will be released by MMFF organizers in the coming days):

1. Enteng ng Ina Mo - Php68.96 million;
2. Ang Panday 2 - Php38 million;
3. Segunda Mano - Php35 million;
4. My Househusband - Php30.3 million;
5. Shake, Rattle & Roll 13 - Php22.9 million;
6. Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow - Php18.8 million; and
7. Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story - Php5 million.

There are no foreign films that are being shown in local cinemas while the Festival is still ongoing. The 37th Metro Manila Film Festival will culminate on January 7, 2012.

Meanwhile, the MMFF 2011 awards night will take place at the New World Resort Hotel on December 28, 2011.

December 26th

Today's the big day... that day that we eagerly await for as soon as the Halloween pumpkin is tossed on the compost heap- the Feast of Stephen or Boxing Day or Wren Day. Well actually, this is the start of The Week of Stephen. It begins today - the Feast Day of St. Stephen, to whom it shall be noted, was the first Christian to be stoned, no small significance to me personally.

At Post Apocalyptic Bohemia, birthdays are celebrated with a week long celebration honoring the recipient with a series of celebrations & kindnesses. We start today with St. Stephen’s day & wraps up on January 3rd with the birthday of yours truly. Today, I am going to start to prepare for my birthday with a week of being celibate, doing a cleansing fast: no alcohol, no pizza… unless I should slip up & end up getting drunk & getting laid.

St. Stephen was stoned to death in 34 AD by a mob led by Paul (when he was still Saul). In Acts 1 it says:
Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses & against God." So they stirred up the people & the elders & the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen & brought him before the Sanhedrin. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place & change the customs Moses handed down to us." Since Stephen was the first martyr, he's referred to as a protomartyr, a word we only get to use once a year.

Good King Wenceslas is the big musical number for St. Stephen's Day. The tune was originally written for the song, Tempus Adest Floridum (It is time for flowering), a 13th-century spring carol first introduced in the 1582's Swede/Finn co-production: Piae Cantiones. Perhaps you have seen it? If you've never really listened to the lyrics to Good King Wenceslas, they deal with the Bohemian King going out on St. Stephen's Day to give alms to the poor. A rich Duke’s page is freezing to death but Wenceslas's footprints provide magical warmth…. or something like that.

If you live in the Anglo-land, then you don't need to have Boxing Day explained... unless you're from the USA or Ireland, the only Anglo-ish countries that do not celebrate it. On Boxing Day, you give a gift to your inferiors. This seems to me to be very patronizing & classist, or rather-very English. "Oh it's nothing. Just a little something I, your superior in class, got for you, one of the lower orders." Even the English seemed to have realized this seemed a bit condescending, now they just use today to take advantage of after-Christmas sales, to buy stuff for themselves. Back in a time far way, the Husband & I would travel from our home in Seattle to one of our favorite cities- Vancouver BC, to enjoy the Boxing Day sales. Merchandise at the Canadian stores- Eaton’s & The Bay Company etc, would be marked down 60%, which with the strength of the US dollar against the Canadian(those were the days!), would make for terrific savings. We would then spend our saved money on dining out at the swellest spots in Vancouver, & leaving tips for our inferiors.

In Wales, the people of my own heritage, they have their own peculiar brand of St. Stephen's Day acknowledgement. On what they named- Gŵyl San Steffan, it is customary to bleed the livestock & slash female servants with holly branches. How can we can explain the Welsh?

Why no Boxing Day in Ireland? The Irish celebrate- Lá an Dreoilín, or Wren Day. Before I looked it up, I thought- "Oh, Wren's Day. They must venerate the little birds on this day." Actually, traditionally on this day, young hooligans called- Wrenboys got together & hunted down the tiny, defenseless creatures. Then they'd go around with the dead wren's tiny corpse fastened to the end of a pole, singing songs & drinking. Wrens have a reputation for treachery in Irish culture & legend has it that wrens betrayed Irish forces during a Viking attack & so the Irish on this day kill the wrens out of revenge. By the 1930s, wrens were almost extinct in Ireland. That will teach a lesson to those traitorous wrens!

& now, at the end of the feast day of Saint Stephen, I leave you to be stoned & go to bed. I am to pooped to post.

Anne Curtis is StarStudio's 'Celebrity of the Year'

Anne Curtis covers StarStudio's January 2012 issue

It has been a good year for sultry actress Anne Curtis. Anne's career soared to unprecedented heights this 2011. Several endorsements, a blockbuster movie, a record label which reached Platinum certification in just 2 months and an upcoming solo concert that has been looked forward by fans were among the many achievements of Anne this year. There is no wonder why Anne has been chosen by StarStudio as the "Celebrity of the Year" and featured on the magazine's January 2012 cover.

Anne herself admitted how 2011 turned out to be one of the best years in her career. Via her Twitter account, she said, "We found love is my song for all followers & fans! 2010 was a hard year for me but 2011 turned out to be one of the best years I've ever had and I have all of you to thank! Thank you For all the love & support! All the tweets and lovely messages! Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

But 2012 might just be as good or even a better year for Anne. Anne revealed that apart from her concert this coming year, she is also anticipating a reloaded album and a new endorsement she is very excited about. There will be more for sure.

Congratulations, Anne!

Winter Song... Money Can't Buy It

Money can't buy it

Sex can't buy it

Drugs can't buy it

You can't buy it

I believe that love alone

Might do these things for you

I believe in love alone

Take the power to set you free

Kick down the door

& throw away the key

Give up your needs...

Your poisoned seeds

Find yourself elected

To a different kind of creed

I believe that love alone

Might do these things for you

I believe that love alone

Might do these things for you

I believe in the power of creation

I believe in the good vibration

I believe in love alone

Won't somebody tell me what we're coming to

It might take forever

Till we watch those dreams come true

All the money in the world

Won't buy you peace of minde

You can have it all

But you still won't be satisfied

Money can't buy it

Sex can't buy it

Drugs can't buy it

You can't buy it

Now...

Hear this

Pay attention to me

'cause I'm a rich white girl

& it's plain to see

I've got every kind of thing that the money can buy

Let me tell you all about it

Let me amplify

I got diamonds...

You heard about those

I got so many

I can't close my safe at night in the dark

Lying awake in a sick dream

I believe that love alone

Might do these things for you

I believe that love alone

Might do these things for you

I believe in the power of creation

I believe in the good vibration

I believe in love alone

Lennox
1992