Pilot Alert: Kings

The human will can take ashes and turn it into ice cream.

~ Michelle Benjamin in Kings

Royalty always seemed like a dazzling thing to me, and based on the title, I thought I would get snippets of the captivating world of monarchs in this new show entitled Kings.

Instead there is very little glitz and glamor as the two-hour premiere ushered in idealism wretched with harsh realities because however utopian the Kingdom of Gilboa seems to be, it is every bit plagued with what the world at large has to experience on a daily basis - wars and conspiracies on a grand scale, and betrayals, manipulations, jealousy and ulterior motives on a more microscopic scale. Fortunately, there is love and camaraderie and hope sprinkled all over, which makes the drama of the show a tad less heavy (and by a tad, I really mean more a teeny-tiny smidgen).

The premiere laid out so many plotlines in an intricately woven web, but there is promise that in the end things just might be simplified beautifully courtesy of the ever idealistic David (purposely named so after the biblical figure who defeated Goliath because apparently this is the show's fundamental parallel). And while it attempts to inject humor, playfulness, action and romance in order to not entirely drain all the endorphins out of its viewiers, it is not for anyone who wishes to just sit back, relax and watch TV.

But the cast is stellar - from the idealistic and naive Josh Hartnet lookalike David, the ruthless yet pained King Silas (Ian McShane), the closeted heir to the throne Jack who we last saw as bad boy Carter in Gossip Girl (my favorite character so far), the pretty princess Michelle (who of course is David's love interest because that is just how it is on TV - underdog gets the princess), all the way down to the brother-in-law and the Reverend, and they all just might make the show worth the watch.

The best visual of the show, the one that will stick to me for a really long time is that of David being adorned with a crown of butterflies, just like King Silas have always publicly claimed to have experienced. While it seems a little funny for a warfreak, manly country to be symbolized by a butterfly (it's in their flag, insignia and stationery, people!), I find that softened touch acceptable. But of course, I'm a girl. I doubt the men will find it cute. Hahaha.

But for what it's worth, I'm watching to see just where the butterflies will take this show. ;)

Pilot Alert: Better Off Ted

I never really knew about this new show called Better Off Ted until I got a notification from my Facebook Scrubs fan page about this show premiering after Scrubs (there are benefits to having a hundred or so pages after all :P). I am in dire need of new stuff to watch because my faves are slowly saying BIFN (trader jargon which stands for Bye for Now - don't ask, I never really got why too, haha) one by one .

And so I watched the show, which introduced itself via a full ad about this company called Veridian Dynamics. I thought it was an actual ad and not part of the show, but it turns out that it is the company where this Ted guy works after all. The company makes almost everything except maybe cows (although they have made sheep... Dolly, is that you? Hahaha), and Ted is the head of their R&D Department.

Based on the premise of working for such an omniscient company, the possibilities are endless, and as a comedy show, it should follow that the laughter potential should be endless as well. Except it's not really very funny (in the hahahaha way), and it made me feel a little like the first and last time I watched 30 Rock. What Better Off Ted has going for it vis-a-vis 30 Rock (aside from the fact that I am in a much dire need for entertainment and distraction now than before), was that Jay Harrington (who we last saw kissing Addison and causing her to kinda cheat in Private Practice) has a pretty engaging charm about him. But the highlight of the show for me is Portia de Rossi, who plays Ted's stiff yet endearing boss Veronica, the kind that you can't really hate even when she is being impossible, unethical and ummm... devoid of all emotion. All the other characters are meh to annoying, and I really hope Ted doesn't end up with his creamer-stealing assistant because as early as now I am really rooting for him and Portia.

For now, I'll keep on watching, but I hope that the show has more in store other than Ted and Portia's performances. It's a show about a company who can make impossible things possible, for crying out loud! Other shows have had to work with so much less and pulled through.

P. S. Why is it entitled Better Off Ted? I don't get it. I really don't.

Circa 2006

The One That Got Away

Source: The Manila Times

By: Mark J. Macapagal

In your life, you'll make note of a lot of people. Ones with whom you shared something special, ones who will always mean something. There's the one you first kissed, the one you first loved, the one you lost your virginity to, the one you put on a pedestal, the one you're with... and the one that got away.

Who is the one that got away? I guess it's that person with who everything was great, everything was perfect, but the timing was just wrong. There was no fault in the person, there was no flaw in the chemistry, but the cards just didn't fall the right way, I suppose.

I believe in the fact that ending up with someone, finding a longtime partner that is, does not lie merely in the other person. I can actually argue that an equal part, or maybe even the greater part, has to do with the matter of timing. It has to do with you being ready to settle down and commit to someone in a way that goes beyond the little niceties of giddy romance.

How often have you gone through it without even realizing it? When you're not ready to commit in that mature manner, it doesn't matter who you're with, it just doesn't work. Small problems become big; inconsequentials become dealbreakers simply because you're not ready and it shows. It's not that you and the person you're with are no good; it's just that it's not yet right, and little things become the flashpoint of that fact.

Then one day you're ready. You really are. And when this happens you'll be ready to settle down with someone. He or she may not be the most perfect, they might not be the brightest star of romance to ever have burned in your life, but it'll work because you're ready. It'll work because it's the right time and you'll make it work. And it'll make sense, it really will.

So that day comes when you're finally making sense of things, and you find yourself to be a different person. Things are different, your approach is different, you finally understand who you are and what you want, and you've become ready because the time has truly arrived. And mind you, there's no telling when this day will come. Hopefully you're single but you could be in a long-term relationship, you could be married with three kids, it doesn't matter. All you know is that you've changed, and for some reason, the one that got away, is the first person you think about.

You'll think about them because you'll wonder, "What if they were here today?" You'll wonder, "What if we were together now, with me as I am and not as I was?" That's what the one that got away is. The biggest "What if?" you'll have in your life.

If you're married, you'll just have to accept the fact that the one that got away, got away. Believe me, no matter how fairy tale you think your marriage is, this can happen to the best of us. But hopefully you're mature enough to realize that you're already with the one you're with and this is just another test of your commitment, one which will just strengthen your marriage when you get past it. Sure, you'll think about him/her every so often, but it's alright. It's never nice to live with a "might have been," but it happens.

Maybe the one that got away is the one who's already married. In which case it's the same thing. You just have to accept and know that your memories of that person will probably bring a nice little smile to your lips in the future when you're old and gray and reminiscing.

But if neither of that is the case, then it's different. What do you do if it's not yet too late? Simple...find him, find her. Because the very existence of a "one that got away" means that you'll always wonder, what if you got that one?

Ask him out to coffee, ask her out to a movie, it doesn't matter if you've dropped in from out of nowhere. You'd be surprised, you just might be "the one that got away" as well for the person who is your "the one that got away."

You might drop in from out of nowhere and it won't make a difference. If the timing is finally right, it'll all just fall into place somehow and you know, I'm thinking, it would be a great feeling, in the end, to be able to say to someone, "Hey you, you're the one that almost got away."

Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Unsettlingly Beautiful

I never really knew what to expect from the movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona, except that it had an art film vibe to it. I expected to doze off a little the way I usually do with drama movies, but surprisingly, the film was able to hold its own in the interest sustenance department (says the narcoleptic). If I were to describe Vicky Cristina Barcelona in one word, I would say it was PASSIONATE. In fact, I don't think I've ever watched a film with that much passion in a really long time.

In a nutshell, the movie is about two close friends named Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) who spend a summer in Barcelona (hence the *gasp* title). They both get involved with a Spanish painter named Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem, who is a dead ringer for Jeffrey Dean Morgan, a. k. a. Denny Duquette in Grey's Anatomy) in different ways - Vicky in a confuse-me-before-and-after-my-wedding sort of way, and Cristina in an, err, slightly more tangled love web with Juan Antonio and his ex-wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz).

Curious?

Anything that involves psychotic, suicidal/murderous exes would probably be too much to handle in a movie (fortunately/unfortunately though, the only "crime" of passion was an accidental bullet to the hand), but for some reason the neurotic undertone in this movie struck me as appealing. I never really liked Penelope Cruz, but in this movie, she was particularly noteworthy as the beautifully eccentric Maria Elena. Ironically, it was also only in this movie that I've actually found her beautiful, in the divinely gorgeous sense. I also liked the character and beauty of Rebecca Hall (whom I never really knew before this movie) as the serious, level-headed Vicky, who wanted nothing in her life but stability. Even Scarlett, whom I never really appreciated as an actress seemed perfect for the role of the carefree and spontaneous Cristina.


In conclusion, the movie starred very beautiful people and this is actually the only point of my post. Hahaha. :P Kidding aside, I liked Vicky Cristina Barcelona not only because of its physical beauty with its beautiful actresses and picturesque backdrop, but also because of its beautiful, open-ended, thought-inducing story. It attempted to explore the various intricacies of love and relationships (love as a commitment, love as passion, love as a feeling, love as a choice, love with no bounderies, etc., etc.) which is a lot to handle in less than two hours, but this unsettlement is what makes the film different... in a stunningly good way. And why not? As the movie puts it, only unfulfilled love can be romantic.

And finally, what makes the movie particularly memorable for me is how Vicky and Cristina were basically the same people as they were before that summer in Barcelona. Most vacation movies are all about transformations and self-reinventions, which, while not necessarily bad, are typical. When sometimes, a radically different experience does not teach you something groundbreaking about yourself but merely affirms who you are and want you want (or not want) out of life and love.

All in all, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is not a light movie to watch but if you're looking for a passionate, raw take on love and humanity, it will give you just that.

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What's Cracklin'?

Despite the fact that it's unhealthy, I must say, I love chicharon. In all its pure fat goodness. And even if every bite brings you one step closer to a heart attack. But recently, I stumbled upon this new treat from Oishi called Marty's Cracklin'. It claimed to be vegetarian chicharon and while I'm always skeptical about vegetarian alternatives to sinful (read: delicious) food, I tried it nonetheless.

Made from dehydrated green peas and potatoes (among other ingredients), I have to say Marty's Cracklin' tasted pretty darn good for something vegetarian. The Salt & Vinegar flavor was ten notches above Oishi's Ribbed Cracklings Salt & Vinegar Beer Match Snack. It looked, tasted and even felt (yes, felt) like the real chicharon. With 0 grams transfat, 0% cholesterol, it's guilt-free (says the package)! In fact, the 70-gram pack of 2.5 servings per container only came with 160 calories per serving. Sure it's 80 calories from fat (not exactly low-fat), but compared to the 1,000 or so calories in a regular chicharon serving, it's really not bad. In fact, it's a pretty healthy alternative to satisfy anyone's chicharon craving (and by anyone I mean me, haha). And at less than 20 pesos for the large pack, it really is a cheap treat.

Bravo, Oishi! And the Marty person who may or may not have invented this snack. Hahaha. :D