David Byrne presents Here Lies Love - A Song Cycle, a musical about “the life of Imelda Marcos, co-ruler of the Philippines in the 70s and 80s, as well as the life of Estrella Cumpas, the woman who raised her.” It will debut in Australia on March 9. Fatboy Slim contributes musically.
Byrne talks about his trip to the Philippines here.
(musical link via boingboing; byrne trip via barangay amerika)
Okay, this is way overdue. I was tagged by Arnold a couple of weeks ago. Without further ado, here it is:
Total Number of Films I Own on DVD And Video
I’ve been waiting to come home to tally them up: I’ve got a paltry 60. I’m not looking to build a DVD library. There are really only a few DVDs that I find I want to watch over and over (most of these are the ones I watch with the children often). I’d also buy a DVD if I know it’s hard to find. If I’d like to watch a really good movie again all I have to do is rent it.
The Last Film I Bought
Constantine. This DVD was heavily advertised in video stores in Manila. I bit. I hadn’t seen the movie, and at the local price, it was cheaper buying it than renting it in the States. My mistake: I forgot about the regional coding. Aaarghh. I’d have to wait until I get my hands on a region-free DVD player in order to watch it. I’ll probably just give in and rent it anyway. (To add insult to injury, the movie was one of the in-flight movies on the JAL plane I was on the other day but with all of the distractions, I never got to watch it in its entirety.)
Five Films Which I Watch a Lot / Mean a Lot to Me
Bladerunner - groundbreaking sci-fi film.
Fifth Element - Euro sci-fi so derivative, yet so strangely unique (Chris Tucker gotta go though).
LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring - the delicate way Jackson handled the opening Shire scene let me know that the rest of the movie, and the trilogy, was going to be special.
The Prince of Egypt - the burning bush scene gets me everytime.
Okay, this one’s a guilty pleasure: The Sound of Music *cringe* - I actually force my kids to watch it in order for me to hum along to “The Lonely Goatherd.”
(Three) People I’m Passing the Baton to
It took a while for me to answer this I’m hesitant to pass it on (Is this how memes die out?). The lukewarm potato goes to Mark, Ariel and Sunny (his movie quizzes are so good, I’d like to take a peek into his collection).
I caught the tail-end of an energetic number by the cast of Wonderful Town at the Tony Awards on TV last night. At center stage was Donna Murphy, whose animated performance reminded me of Elizabeth Ramsey, the Philippine singer-comedienne. It was absolutely riveting to see this pale lady display histrionic gestures that I associate with Ms. Ramsey’s wide-eyed comedic antics.
That Elizabeth Ramsey, she’s certainly been bamboozled. This talented lady has for decades been giving performances that amount to nothing more than a Pinoy version of the minstrel show. In my opinion, she’d have gained more respect in the international theatrical circle, as such afforded to Eartha Kitt, or in the American pop music arena, as such given to Erykah Badu.