Sunday, June 15, 2008
You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Fangirling)
June 14 was a FABULOUS day. (Advanced haberdei Jammoe!!!!!!)

[naughtier version available to my Multiply and LJ networks :P]

7:00 am
Wake up with a veritable migraine. Ignore it because there's just too much shit going on today that I can't miss just because of a little brain-throbbing.

9:00 am
After a few costume changes, am ready to head out for the day. Have parents drive me to the bus station on their way to the BFRV house.

11:10 am
Arrive almost on time at Chili's, although naunahan ako ni Anne. :P I order the Chicken Crispers like I always do, and am completely amused by the white gravy. "Dude! It tastes exactly like normal gravy. But it's, like, white!" We have lunch (in gigantic servings, thanks Chili's) with Kathleen, Christine, Tina and Ate Walter, who entertains us with his insider thoughts on Pinoy theater. Loved the whole "if theater companies were bands" analogy. "Folkie NGO woo-hoo band" and "weirdo Russian band" hahahaha.

1:35 pm
Still at Chili's. Realize that oh shit we should've been at the RCBC Plaza like thirty minutes ago. Finish calculating our KKB divisions (so we can take advantage of the 20% discount, thanks Chili's), skeedaddle on out of there to catch a taxi.

1:42 pm
Make it to the RCBC Plaza with enough time to spare. I mention once we're in the elevator that I once shared the same elevator with Tim Yap on my way to see Dogeaters (Jon Santos' Donna Summer number FTW). This leads to a confession from both Walter and myself that we regularly read the trash-tastic online gossip rag, ChikaTime.

1:45 pm
Upon reaching the 4th floor, introduce Walter to the remainder of our Front Row Girls barkada, Tom, who has brought her friend Pia with her. Walter and Tom hit it off instantly because they both have a thing for Reb Atadero. Pia and I click because EEEE FELIX.

1:50 pm
Peruse the memorabilia. No more "I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today" shirt? Boo! Instead settle on a program for Jam's birthday. Kacheapan ang ate niyo -- pero in fairness, pinag-effortan ko yan! It's the thought that counts! Wait until after the show, at the 4:41 log.

2:00 pm
I love that Philippine professional theater shows always start exactly on time. We're all in the front row, arranged according to our personal preferences in terms of theater crushes: Tom and Walter in Team Reb, myself and Pia in Team Felix, Tina and Anne in Team Reuben, and Kathleen and Christine in Team "Come on, you guys, they're all great!"

2:07 pm
Due to guzzling glass after glass of Coke Light (it was refillable, thanks Chili's), I realize that I really, really need to pee. But demett the show's already started.

2:15 pm
Realize that while sitting front row at Altar Boyz was great, Avenue Q is an entirely different banana since the stage at the Carlos P. Romulo auditorium is much, much higher up. Still, it's great to have a different perspective.

2:31 pm
Fuck different perspectives. I'm sitting by the left side, and 50% of the time, their faces are hidden behind their puppets. Me to seatmates: "I hate that they're all right-handed."

2:43 pm
After "The Internet for Porn," I can tell that all the aforementioned front row Theater Crush Teams have now officially defected to Team Joel.

3:00 pm
Still have to pee. Grabe magkaka-UTI ako sa show na 'to.

3:48 pm
"The Money Song" number.
Felix (as Princeton): "All we got was a used ticket to Altar Boyz."
Front Row Girls: "SQUEE!"
Keep in mind that most of the girls watching Avenue Q in the front row with me were the same ones I watched Altar Boyz with, in the front row as well. Cutely ironic. I think this was their favorite line in the show. =))))

3:55 pm
Nicky's "I think I know your type," followed by Rod's "My cup runneth over!" are my favorites.

4:00 pm
The show ends to very enthusiastic applause from a sold-out auditorium. I'd mentioned earlier to Walter that the most disheartening thing about being a theater lover in the Philippines is when a fantastic show plays to an undeservedly small, unenthused crowd, which is more likely to happen than not seeing as theater has such a small fanbase around these parts. Luckily, Avenue Q got all the love it deserved.

4:01 pm
Wave at cast members Joel and Frenchie during the curtain call; feel awesome when they wave back. Hee, I'll always be a fangirl.

4:09 pm
Exchange a whole bunch of "HOMAYGAD THAT WAS AWESOME"s with the girls. They love it. I'm relieved.

4:15 pm
I still have to pee.

4:20 pm
I'd warned the gang earlier on that it might be more difficult to stagedoor at Avenue Q as compared to Altar Boyz since there was going to be a much bigger crowd here, and as it turns out, I was right: there was a long-ass queue of people wanting to get their pictures taken with the cast. I choose to stay behind, though, because I needed to get my program signed for Jam. While waiting, Tom goes on paparazzi-mode and takes pictures and videos of Felix and Joel, and makes comments about the hotness of Joel Trinidad.

4:41 pm
Finally able to get a hold of the cast, starting with Joel. Super nice as always. I explain that Jam was the one who helped me get my program signed back when we watched Avenue Q on my 18th birthday, so this time, for her 18th, I was trying to return the favor.

4:42 pm

After this, I tell Joel that "I have this friend who totally loves you," and vanish into the crowd for a moment to retrieve said friend. Tom is uncharacteristically shy in this moment (remember, this is the same person who glomped PJ Valerio and Chevy Mercado at first sight), so I literally have to drag her over to Joel. She gets her picture with him and I'm like, "She wants to hug you, too," and Tom's like, *GLOMP*. Tom Cheeseburger, you are my hero.

4:45 pm
My fellow Front Row Girls are like, "Uy, Felix is free, now's your chance" and I freeze up like I always do. They're not as pushy as Zobel people (hahaha), but I remember that I need the program signed, so with a surge of newfound manliness, I go over to Felix without anybody dragging me this time. He's such a sweetheart eeeee! And so very pretty.

4:49 pm
Run after Frenchie Dy before she reaches the elevator. Looove her! She pwned that stage as Christmas Eve, like, everything she said drove the crowd nuts! She's also very sweet, and she did remember me from the dress rehearsal haha.

4:55 pm
End up with a program that has variations of "Happy 18th birthday, Jam" scribbled all over from most of the members of Avenue Q. Thank personal fairy godmother Lorna Lopez for the awesome time, and get my parting gifts.

5:10 pm
Go back to Greenbelt with Anne and Tina, exchange goodbyes and promises to reunite for Mulan Jr., Hairspray and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
JC got bored @ 7:40 PM

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Mmmmmusic meme (again)
...Total ripoff of your title. I'm uncreative, sorry.

Rules:
1. Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter.
2. List (and upload, if you feel like it) 5 songs that start with that letter.
3. Post that to your journal with these instructions.

Was assigned the letter M by "Jiano invokes vengeance on faulty velcro" (hmm, what's that aboot, anyway?). It's been long established that nobody gives a shit about my relatively esoteric (at least, in this country) taste in music, but allow me to bore you with my music nerdness, and then you can pretend you actually understood what I just said so I can give you a letter:

1. "My Iron Lung" - Radiohead
We're too young to fall asleep
Too cynical to speak

We are losing it, can't you tell?
We scratch our eternal itch
A twentieth century bitch
And we are grateful for our iron lung

What's a music list from me without a Radiohead tune, right?

The song, along with Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box," that made me a diehard fan of 90's alt and grunge for life. Which is funny when you think about it, since the opening guitar riffs sound remarkably similar. Penned by enigmatic Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke as an outlet for his frustration at having to play "Creep" all the damn time, and that feeling of both hating something and being dependent on it is something I completely relate to. I first heard this through Patrice Pike's inspiring, soul-shattering rendition on Rock Star: Supernova, and my life has never been the same since then.

2. "The Mirror-Blue Night" - Original Broadway Cast, Spring Awakening

But there’s nowhere to hide from these bones, from my mind
It’s broken inside – I’m a man and a child
I’m at home with a ghost, who got left in the cold
Who knocks at my peace, with no keys to my soul
The most magical moment in Spring Awakening, which, really, is magical all throughout. Melchior, with his schoolmates echoing him from four corners, reflects on his desire for the ingenue Wendla. Definitely my favorite track, since it clocks in at #4 on my Top 25 Most Played on iTunes. I liked this so much that not only did I memorize the lyrics, but the choreography as well.

3. "Miss Murder" - AFI
What's the hook, the twist within this verbose mystery?
I would gladly bet my life upon it, that the ghost you love
Your ray of light, will fizzle out without hope
My love for Guitar Hero knows no bounds. I fared better on another M song, Weezer's "My Name Is Jonas," scoring 100% on sightread, first time I played it (OMG GO ME). That and "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam, of course, because me not rocking a grunge song is absolutely unheard of. However, "Miss Murder" is just so catchy and so much fucking fun to play that I could spend hours whittling away at it until I get it all right. The vocals are unforgettable, of course, but you can't help paying more attention to everything else -- the danceable opening bass line, the dee-dee-dee guitar riff on the first verse, and the gorgeous cacophony that is the chorus, when it all goes nucking futs. I can't help air-guitaring whenever this plays on my iPod, no matter how dumb I look.

4. "M'Aidez" - Sneaker Pimps
May days, throwaways, some things here have got to stay
A string of pearls, the strangest girl, happy with the western world
Painless Chinese burns, ties me down with daisy chains
Diamonds on her tongue and pleasure cuts and teasing
My first encounter with the Sneaker Pimps came through "Loretta Young Silks" playing over a montage of my uber-crush Randy Harrison in post-breakup depression on Queer as Folk. I only knew them through that one song, but God, was it fantastic. Then one day, I'm killing time at Tower Records when I see the album Bloodsport for P150. Best thing I bought all year.
 
5. "My Unfortunate Erection" - Jose Llana, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
My unfortunate protuberance, seems to have its own exuberance
Anyone for M & M’s? Delicious and appropriate
Anyone for Chewy Goobers? Inexpensive
Anyone for buying the shit that I’m selling?
Because my stiffy has ruined my spelling!
I went on a Broadway binge one day and downloaded the entire cast recording of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This track's obviously my favorite. I'll unashamedly belt "All because of my unfortu-naaate, ere-heeection! Oh, Goooood!" at neighbor-annoying volume when I'm home alone, and sometimes, more quietly, "I don't blame my brain but I do blame my peniiiis" while walking around the mall, despite the weird glances I get from strangers. The good news? You get to listen to it (and LSS) too!
JC got bored @ 9:18 PM

Friday, June 06, 2008
Huwag Mo Nang Itanong: A review of the Zsazsa Zaturnnah comic book/film juggernaut from the faggiest girl you know
[Decided to write this review in anticipation of the much-awaited sequel to the comic book.]

It comes as a surprise to no one that Zsazsa Zaturnnah's unparalleled success is thanks in large part to the Filipino gay community (affectionately known as the Federasyon, hee-hee). Syempre, san ka pa, it boasts of a sweet, relatable gay hero(ine) in beauty salon proprietor Ada, a papalicious leading man in hottie-next-door Dodong -- to quote Didi, "Buong-buo ang bawat noodles!", a fabulous, bitchy diva to the max in Queen Femina Suarestellar Baroux, elaborate costumes to diiiie for, and, well, everything about this comic book is rambunctiously, flamboyantly, lovably gay. You will never see so much color on a black-and-white page as you will in Zsazsa Zaturnnah.

However, despite my possibly being the gayest person on your Multiply list, to the point na sinasabihan pa ako ng mga Ghey Frens ko na "Ambading moh talaga, sis!", I do wholeheartedly, pinky-swearingly believe that Ang Kagila-Gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah (2003) is an excellent read, not just for the Federasyon but for anyone.

To the untrained eye, the graphic novel looks like a blatant Darna rip-off with a hint of Will & Grace mixed in. Trust me, it's not. First of all, Zaturnnah is way hotter, and more importantly, the plot is packed with more wit, sass and humor than any episode of Will & Grace could ever hope to achieve. Yes, even the one with Cher in it.

Zaturnnah mastermind Carlos Vergara's biting sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek view on pop culture jump off the page (Zaturnnah: "Ito ang kinatatakutan ko, Didi. Nag-iipon sila ng lakas...sa pamamagitan ng isang special production number!"), and his prowess as a graphic artist makes every page a joy to look at. I'd call this the Enchanted of Pinoy graphic novels, in that it hilariously pokes fun at the clichéd elements of comic book stories, while at the same time maintaining its own vibrant, original plot. This parody is not without a heart. I first read my copy in the ATC lounge, and I'll admit I had to stop reading halfway through because I didn't want to get caught crying in public. While watching the Zaturnnah DVD in the confines of my own bedroom, though, the waterworks were definitely running. Oo na, sensitive ang lola niyo!

The fruits of this graphic novel's success included a big screen and a musical theater adaptation, with the latter almost universally considered superior to the former. I wasn't able to catch Zsazsa Zaturnnah: Ze Musikal, though, for I was an oblivious youth then, completely unaware of the whole Pinoy Theater thing. As for Ze Moveeh, I regret to say that most of the criticisms hit the nail on the head. It didn't do the comic book any justice. I actually thought it was well-cast, with the bombastic Zsa Zsa Padilla, fieeerce Pops Fernandez, and cuter-than-cute Rustom Padilla, but the execution fell flat on its ass. The film took the plot too seriously, stripping away all of the elements that made the comic book such a fun read. Still, it's enjoyable if only for its stars and its campiness, and it's a great addition to the entire Zaturnnah legacy.

Zsazsa Zaturnnah Sa Kalakhang Maynila, the sequel everyone's been waiting for since reading the last panel of the original back in 2003, is now Under Construction, with weekly previews available on author Carlos Vergara's blog. If you still don't have a copy on the original in your possession, then shame on you! The lovely, 143-page "Collected Edition" is available for about P250 at a Power Books or National Bookstore near you, so repennnnt now! You'll laugh, cry, queen out, and find yourself as hungry for the sequel as the rest of us currently are.

JC got bored @ 7:22 PM

Tuesday, June 03, 2008
That warm, fuzzy feeling
Ha, get it? Because it's "Spread the fuzz," and...oh, never mind.

Avenue Q will always hold a special place in my heart, since it is the source of a great deal of memories for me: it served as my Micmac-recommended form of escapism back in September '07, when I was going through some tough times in my personal life; it started my freakazoid infatuation-slash-obsession with somebody everyone knows at this point, heh-heh; it was my very first "real" theater show (meaning, something other than high school productions), kick-starting my torrid love affair with Pinoy-staged musicals; and of course, it was one of my favorite parts of turning 18. So, despite the fact that April 2008 onwards has been one ginormous financial enema for me, with all of the shopping and Makati gimiks -- thanks a lot, Altar Boyz -- I didn't think twice about reserving front row seats for myself and my friends.

On June 2, I was one of the lucky five people who got an inside look at the rehearsal process, as well as an interview and performances from the current Avenue Q cast, all thanks to, again, the magnificent Lorna Lopez, whom I've dubbed my personal fairy godmother. Yes, I have a rolodex of glowing adjectives to describe her in future blog posts. The benevolent Lorna Lopez. The omnipotent Lorna Lopez. Hee.

I, on the other hand, am the ubiquitous Julie, where "ubiquitous" is a euphemism for "stalkerish." I showed up early at the rehearsal venue in Kalayaan since I was worried that I might, as usual for a navigational retard like me, get lost along the way, so I was better off heading there ahead of schedule. Of course, who's the first person I see there but the Golden Boy himself? I was like, God damn it. Lorna had pointed out the dichotomy between my real life persona, who is poised and "sophisticated" daw (nakanams!), and my online persona, who is a neurotic, excitable fangirl. And it's true, the voice in my head is very screamo hyperactive as compared to my "oh, hello there" facade, as demonstrated here, when he walked into the room:

Julie: *nervous grin*
Felix Rivera, bemused: "Hello."
Julie: *small wave*
Julie's inner monologue: Oh my shet what?! He's only seen me at the lobby in like every Altar Boyz show and then at the Avenue Q stagedoor, both times, and then there was that whole Pancake House thing, ang stalker ko tuloy tignan noooo! Julie, you gigantic loser! Run and hide! Frick!

The self-hatred, it burns.

I spent the next half-hour talking shop with the effervescent (woot!) Lorna and Dr. Fred of St. Luke's, and since we were all theater lovers, I never ran out of things to talk about. I showed Dr. Fred my cellphone pics with the Altar Boyz (Reuben: "Whoa, sabog" Ako: *picture ulit* Reuben: "Sabog pa rin eh!" Ako: "Pwede na yaaan"). We were then ushered into the studio at around noon.

The cast performed the Avenue Q theme song, "What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?", "The More You Ruv Someone" and "If You Were Gay" (a song I've enthusiastically belted to my brother countless times). I'm grinning the whole time, of course, and restraining myself from lip-synching because I don't think very highly of audience members who lip-synch during theater performances. Even though I'm so totally guilty. :P The vivacious (adjective number five, ding-ding-ding!) Lorna led off the Q and A portion, and I got to see the established camaraderie among the cast members firsthand. The Avenue Q cast was more subdued than the rambunctious Altar Boyz were at the presscon, but then again, it's not a fair comparison because they were, you know, Boyz. With a Z. It's always nice, though, when a cast gels together as well as the Avenue Q gang did, rather than getting all Grey's Anatomy on each other. Watching them made me LSS Chevy Mercado's version of that song about "God's great...family."

We got to mingle after the program over Krispy Kremes, although apparently there's some forbidden love affair going on with Felix Rivera and Krispy Kreme donuts. I asked Joel Trinidad later why everyone was like "No, Felix, you can't have them, go sit in the corner" and it turns out that he gets really, crazily wired after one Krispy Kreme. (Which I would love to have seen.) Probably like what happened to non-coffee-drinking me when I forced myself to down a Praline Mocha at Starbucks as an attempt to keep myself awake through the shift. On an empty stomach. I was jumping around and getting hand tremors and doubling over in pain and yelling "Naiihi akoooooooh!" continually without ever making any attempt to go to the bathroom. I have a coffee-stained purple shirt as a souvenir.

This time, I'm bringing a bottle of Lipovitan to work, because I'm really stupid that way.

At this rate, it'll be magic mushrooms at the end of the month.

But I digress. Anyway, I've finally figured out my approach to the schmoozing portion of press conferences: I tend to pick just one person I'm comfortable with, and then stick with him/her. I always get stutter-y in roundtable discussions (unless everyone else is shy, at which point I turn into Ally McBeal with my incessant babbling), but I don't freak out as much with one-on-ones. At the Constantine Maroulis and Stonefree presscons, I stuck by my co-writer Ivy; Theater Talk, I was with Walter and Shari the whole time -- after I'd finally gotten over the wallflower-texting-in-the-corner phase; at the Altar Boyz presscon, chatted with the very chattable and sabogaloids Reuben. Did I mention that he gave me advice about my Theater Dreamboy once? "Ganito lang sabihin mo: 'Pa-feel naman ng pecs mo.'" =)))))

I mean, it's not a very journalist-y habit, but screw it. I'm a teenager with a blog, not a Reuters correspondent.

After standing around for a while watching Aiza Seguerra get interviewed, I sat down on the floor next to Joel Trinidad, who was Our Collective Favorite from last December's run -- although Kalalz also has an unbridled love of Frenchie Dy! -- and admitted that I was doing the whole nod-and-smile-even-though-I-have-no-idea-what-they're-talking-about schtick, an art I perfected in Math class. Joel, of course, was just as cool, nice and funny as I'd expected. He coaxed me into a Krispy Kreme even though I'd already brushed my teeth and wasn't really that hungry, because it took me that long to realize that I'd never tried a Krispy Kreme before (the local one, anyway), so I was like what the hell, why not, I'll have just the one. (...And Julie was hooked for life. Damn you, Joel Trinidad.) Then we talked about scriptwriting, Repertory's Mulan Jr., the call center industry, all sorts of writer-y things, How I Met Your Mother, and the astonishing talent of Red Concepcion. Hahahahaha, hi Red! :P

I found Joel to be the most approachable because I remember him as being the nicest guy in the cast when we stagedoored on my birthday. See, it's a huge thing for theater fans when the actor is super nice to you at stage door, which explains why Spring Awakening's Jonathan Groff and John Gallagher Jr. are as beloved as they are -- they're not just like, "Oh, hi, thanks for watching, sure, I'll sign your program," but they strike up conversations with all of the fans, and they even remember your name when you come back. Talented as they are, Jonathan B. Wright and Lea Michele aren't as popular for that very reason (he's not too chatty, she often skips stagedoor altogether). It helps the actors in the long run, too, because establishing an emotional investment would make the fan more eager to support the actor. Of course you'd want them to do well, they were nice to you! I'm always enthusiastic about singing Red and Reuben's praises to people, and dragging all barkadas along to see Altar Boyz, because, in addition to actually deserving that acclaim based on their talent alone, they were just the coolest guys at the OnStage lobby. You'd never feel, like, "Oh, maybe I'm being massively annoying already, I should probably go" when you're talking to them. And would you believe I was dorky enough to yell "HOMAYGAD CRIS VILLONCO ADDED ME TO MULTIPLY!" to my co-workers at three in the morning? Hee. Essentially, being ma-PR is definitely an asset, not just for actors, but for anyone.

In that vein: Joel Trinidad is really awesome and talented and witty, you guys! Watch Avenue Q! Woot!

Since I spent the rest of the hour chatting with Joel and savoring the Krispy Kreme donut, I didn't get to talk with the other cast members, so I won't be able to tell you much about them other than that, judging from the interview and performances, they're incredibly talented and sweet. Knowing me, the first question on friends' minds would be "Soooo, how'd it go with Papa Felix, hmm?" And, you know, I did walk into the building with a whole "I'm so not a stalker!" speech prepared, but I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm always going to be a blushing, tongue-tied schoolgirl around this Mega-Talented and Gwapo Actor, and I'm perfectly okay with that. :) I mean, I've never been coherent around anyone I ever had a thing for, anyway, why start now? I'll admire from afar. I'm the nerdy, gawky George O'Malley to his generally oblivious, slightly uncomfortable Meredith Grey. Haha. :P

Took the elevator down with Lorna and Fred, leaving the studio with a link to Joel's Multiply (he's a hilarious writer, check out his blog!), a bright grin, and a mental note to hunt down all Krispy Kreme branches.

I also left with the knowledge that I was completely screwed, since I had a shift later on that night. I wasn't approved for a vacation leave because HSBC doesn't care as much about Avenue Q as I do *sigh*, so I would probably be falling asleep at the desk again. But that's okay, I have my little bottle of Lipovitan!

...Or would a Krispy Kreme donut be more effective?

JC got bored @ 2:47 AM

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