Category Archive for: review

the widow as kapamilya

it was the most discomforting sight. Lorna Tolentino sitting among these singers on variety show ASAP, who she seemed to barely know, but who were paying a tribute to her husband via the theme songs of his movies, and apparently, the theme songs of his life. interspersed with clips from Rudy Fernandez’s lives on screen, Lorna could barely manage a smile – forced and otherwise throughout the 10- to 15-minute tribute. it was painful to watch, and totally unfair. and uncalled for. (more…)

It’s always a struggle, whether or not to spend good hard-earned money on OPM CDs that have no Tagalog songs in them. But then again, maybe an all-English album is but a measure of how music-making still remains a luxury, i.e., those get their albums out there are those who can afford to.

With that struggle down the drain, The Vince Noir Project’s self-titled album had much going for it. Listening to it at the music store, I cajoled my husband into getting the album, if only because I was interested in what sounded like techno music from a local band. How could I pass it up in this age of rock bands and novelty songs? (more…)

It was undoubtedly poised for flight. Songbird was to be the only musical-variety show in a sea of reality shows, soap operas, asianovelas and the few sitcoms that have local TV’s daily primetime covered. It has as star Regine Velasquez, upon whom the label “Songbird” has been bestowed, and who is known for reinvention and defamiliarization – you think you know her and then she does something extraordinary; you imagine she’s done everything imaginable with her voice, and then she surprises you with CD upon CD of different songs; you buy her CDs, and even the way she looks is different every time. (more…)

Marcus Adoro’s silence has given him legendary status—at least as far as Eraserheads fans are concerned.

After the breakup, while other members of the band remained visible, lead guitarist Adoro disappeared. A few years ago, a cassette tape entitled “KamonKamon” became available only to the fan who knew where to find it. (more…)

in defense of Ploning

Much has been said, in print and online reviews, about the narrative structure of Ploning. For some, it was a distraction, something that just made the story confusing; for others, it was there to make things more difficult or complex, given that the story seemed simple enough. Across the reviews, this narrative structure has been pinpointed as the reason for the problems with plot and characterization. (more…)