Sunday, January 25, 2009
The Delicious Dish
Alec Baldwin's SNL special was on earlier tonight, and I watched out for "The Delicious Dish", which is one of the best SNL sketches ever. I'd been looking for a video online, but could only find audio on YouTube. It still works though, since the sketch features a fictional NPR radio show:Tuesday, January 20, 2009
And here's to you Bishop Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know
Bishop Gene Robinson gave this beautiful opening prayer at the kickoff event for Barack Obama's inauguration:“O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will bless us with tears -- tears for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women in many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.
Bless this nation with anger -- anger at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.
Bless us with discomfort at the easy, simplistic answers we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth about ourselves and our world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.
Bless us with patience and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be fixed anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.
Bless us with humility, open to understanding that our own needs as a nation must always be balanced with those of the world.
Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance, replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences.
Bless us with compassion and generosity, remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable.
And God, we give you thanks for your child, Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.
Give him wisdom beyond his years, inspire him with President Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for all people.
Give him a quiet heart, for our ship of state needs a steady, calm captain.
Give him stirring words; We will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.
Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.
Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.
Give him strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.
And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking far too much of this one. We implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand, that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity, and peace. Amen."
Gene Robinson is famous for being the first openly gay clergyman to be ordained bishop in a major Christian denomination. Though Obama's people have denied the connection, his appointment to deliver the opening prayer came on the heels of the President-elect's choice to have Pastor Rick Warren to give the opening invocation for his inaugural. While Warren is most famous in these shores for "The Purpose-Driven Life", his selection came under fire because of previous incendiary comments by the popular pastor about gay people--comparing homosexuality to incest, bestiality, and pedophilia--comments that were hurtful, bigoted, and decidedly un-Christian.
I've yet to read this long GQ profile on Bishop Robinson, but it looks very interesting, and I've bookmarked it and should be able to get to it soon. There's also this quick interview with the bishop at Beliefnet, where he talks about, among other things, the Warren selection.
Labels: barack obama, gene robinson
Monday, January 12, 2009
Hopelessly devoted to you
I'm watching Pushing Daisies right now for lack of anything else on TV. This is actually the first episode I've ever seen, though I'm familiar with the premise: Ned (Lee Pace) is a pie maker who discovered as a child that he has an unusual power: He can raise people (and dogs and flies...) from the dead by touching them. There are two catches: If he touches them again, they die again, forever. And if he leaves them resurrected for more than a minute, someone else dies to take their place. He forms a partnership with a private eye (Chi McBride); Ned temporarily brings murder victims back to life, asks them who killed them, ices them again and they split the reward. But one day, the murder victim is the love of Ned's life since childhood, Chuck (Anna Friel). He leaves her alive--but can never touch her again.The waitress at the pie shop, Olivia (played by the always-awesome Kristen Chenoweth) also happens to be madly in love with the pie-maker, even as she's able to manage a healthy relationship with him and his girlfriend. Still, she makes no secret of that, which led to this dialogue that caught my attention a couple of minutes ago:
Olive: Can I ask you a question? If you loved me....
Alfredo: Yes?
Olive: And we could never, ever, ever touch. Wouldn't you eventually get over it and move on letting someone else have the slightest hope that you might move on to them?
Alfredo: If I loved you?
Olive: Yeah.
Alfredo: Then I would love you in any way I could. And if we could not touch, then I would draw strength from your beauty. And if I went blind, then I would fill my soul with the sound of your voice and the contents of your thoughts until the last spark of my love for you lit the shabby darkness of my dying mind.
Olive: Eh, forget it.
Is the whole series worth watching? I've heard good things but the first season was cut short because of the writer's strike, and the second season will be cut short as well as the show had been cancelled due to low ratings. Should I bother?
Labels: pushing daisies, television
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Final set
Supreme carries the scoop that the continuation of the Eraserheads reunion concert will be on March 7, 2009.UPDATE: Raymund Marasigan posted this in the
dear kids
i got a lot of messages yesterday asking about the eraserheads concert. apparently there was a press release already in the papers. anyhoo, here's what i got so far.
yes its true. that much i know. but after the first one i got darwin (soupstar, sandwich) to iron out my concerns before anything.i want this one to be smoother. in other words i just want to rock.
the band has not me yet officially but i know the promoters have been talking with our respective representatives since december.
we have a dysfunctional relationship haha. we play well together but i think we can only stand each other for short periods of time.
i see buddy a lot cos were band mates in cambio. i bumped into marcus at mogwai last week. he just got back from the beach. im glad ely's getting his groove back. sandwich played with pupil at guijo last friday.
we dont talk about the show. i know everyone agreed to do it so ill guess well see each other at the presscon or rehearsals , whichever comes first.
this wont be as top secret as the marlboro gig. there will be tickets, sponsors and details in the papers. and well be allowed to talk about it. haha.
PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL OR TEXT ME about it. its just a rock show. i just want to rock.
see you all there
raim<s>
Labels: eraserheads, music
Monday, January 05, 2009
Heads up
I haven't read any written confirmation from anyone who would know, but people in the Eraserheads and Sandwich mailing lists are saying that apart from Pupil (and the other bands), Sandwich (!!!) will also be playing at Friday's benefit gig.Let's see, the last time Pupil played a benefit gig (at Route 196), they were in need of an extra hand. Oh, and Markus just happened to be there:
[T]here was already beer-fueled Markus Adoro, who went there as a customer.
Since Adoro didn’t bring any guitar, Buendia handed his to the former bandmate.
Then they played three songs from their original group—“Alapaap,” “Pare Ko” and “Huling El Bimbo.” It must be recalled that “El Bimbo” was supposed to be the last song in the aborted August 30 reunion.
That night, it was goose bumps all over. But as a final song, it’s Pupil’s “Disconnection Notice.” Adoro was hesitant to play it but Buendia insisted. On the spot, Adoro asked Pupil’s original guitarist, Yan Yuzon, who took on bass duties, the basic chords and the magic continued.
UPDATE: A friend who's related to the band just confirmed that Sandwich will indeed be playing this Friday. Ayus!
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Pac-man
Manny Pacquiao's wife Jinkee had originally wanted to name their newborn daughter Julia Margarette, but he didn't like the name. The champ put his foot down, and he got the name he wanted for his baby girl: Queen Elizabeth.Perfect, since it looks like he'll be challenging the people's champion from Britain, Ricky 'Hitman' Hatton, for his next fight.
Disconnection notice
Pupil is playing Saguijo on the 9th, along with Sugarfree and the Itchyworms. Haven't seen them play since that final Rivermaya gig a couple of years ago. Let's watch!
