Do you ever find yourself tearing up while watching TV series whether its comedy, drama …
Best Portrait So Far (6/7/2014)
I am currently in Hong Kong and I’m in love with fish balls and dumplings sold in the street for only HKD 8!! 😘 Love you HK!
More posts to come soon!
How ‘Suffer SiReyna’ highlights LGBTQI suffering
When I first read the title of the article, I thought it was about “Super Sireyna”. (You know, that sort of prestigious gay beauty pageant that empowers transwomen to be out and proud in Philippine TV’s longest running noontime show, Eat Bulaga. You know, the one where the contestants would spend so much (more than they can afford) on their long gowns and extravagant props when the cash prize was just a tiny portion of what the show was earning or giving away.)
After reading the article, I discovered and was surprised that Eat Bulaga has a new segment, a “spin-off” of the Super Sireyna called “Suffer SiReyna”. As the name implies and as the author of the article put it,
… in Suffer SiReyna, the gay men or transwomen contestants are made to suffer (hence the name of segment) through outrageous requests by the hosts, like the ingestion of kapeng barako (Barako coffee) in powder form, the eating of raw ground pork sandwiched in slices ofampalaya (bitter gourd) and stuffed with okra, and other similarly dehumanizing acts.
I think this was patterned after Killer Karaoke where one would sing while undergoing beyond imaginable “harmless” torture. Then again, Killer Karaoke does not discriminate.
Generally, I’m just saddened by the fact that this has been happening in Philippine TV and it’s not even in my Facebook newsfeed or any news venue at all (except for this article, of course).
I am disappointed that this public abuse is happening right in front of our very eyes on a live TV show with hosts include a former senator and a gay man.
Filipinos are so sensitive about race, rape, OFW jokes and almost everything that’s offensive but when this happens, almost no one is talking about it.
As if it’s just normal.
This is just too sad.
I’m glad I quit Philippine TV.
To the Dabarkads, this is how we suffer.
How do you feel about this?
#PhilPop2014 Top 12 Finalists
This is the Philippines’ annual songwriting contest that started in 2012. It is open to both amateur and professional songwriters and composers. Judging by this Top 12, it’s evident that the professional writers seem to be at an advantage to qualify.
Anyway, my favorite would have to be Love on a Broken String written by Jude Gitamondoc and Therese Marie Villarante as it is the most current-sounding of all the entries, and the one with the most decent lyrics (seriously, listen [or not] to Qrush on You for product placement, or Hangout Lang for a booty call in song form and references to one of the most unproductive showbiz issues of the year). The only negative is the weak middle eight relative to the very strong chorus. (Jungee Marcelo’s Salbabida has the best middle eight.)
I also like Toto Sorioso’s Awit Mo’y Nandito Pa which sounds like a pleasant inspirational, hopeful hymn. I also love the syncopation in the chorus — if you listen closely there’s an extra beat that throws you off at first, but then falls back into place. I have to note though: I think I’ve heard this melody before, it’s super familiar.
My least favorite would have to be Hangout Lang penned by Allan Feliciano and Isaac Joseph Garcia. According to their biography on the website, they wrote the song in half an hour… and it shows. Production is dated, and the lyrics, no comment na lang.
Generally, there still isn’t much diversity to the songs in the final. This year is filled with a lot of R&B/urban artists (to list: Kyla [though she sings a power ballad here], Jay-R, Kris, Thor, Q-York), so is R&B up for a comeback in the Philippine music scene? Honestly, I don’t think so, but at least these artists are getting experience and exposure.
The grand finals night will be held on July 26, Saturday. Who do you think will win this year? What do you think about the entries?