Turn off your phones!

We all have mobiles/cellphones/handphones so it's not like none of us can't appreciate how awkward or embarassing it is when it goes off at an inopportune time but c'mon, people, when you go to see a play, turn off your damn phones! Have some respect for the theatre! One such unfortunate incident of a ringing phone spoiling the sacred communal experience of the theatre occurred last week on Broadway, as captured by a secret recording that was shown on tmz.com, at a preview performance of A Steady Rain, starring Wolverine and Jams Bond. I applaud Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig for being so restrained in their response to the offending phone and its owner, who was clearly too embarassed to pull out their ringing phone and turn off the damn thing! What a douchebag whoever this person was. I would have jumped into the audience and knocked some manners into them!

Ready to 'Scream'...

...all over again?

After the initial announcement that Courtney Cox Arquette and her husband, David Arquette, will be returning to the Scream franchise, where they first met as co-stars almost a decade and a half ago, it was speculated that the fourth installment of the hit horror series would be built around them, as Neve Campbell was unlikely to return....well, guess what, folks? It has been announced that Neve will now be returning, too, and Kevin Williamson, the writer of the original trilogy is now penning a whole new trilogy. It is also reported that Wes Craven, the director of the first three Scream movies, is also in negotiations. Personally, I loved the first Scream movie like nobody's business. Maybe coz it came out when I was still in high school and watching the movie when it came out made me appreciate that my high school experience was not as wanton and violent as the one depicted in the movie. After all, this was the late 90s, the time of the Columbine high school massacre.

I don't know what they are gonna do with the original characters when a whole new story is being written...I mean, it's kinda stretching credibility way too thin to put these poor (albeit, fictional) souls through more hell...still, I'm curious to see what Mr. Williamson will come up with. More than anything, I am thrilled that Neve Campbell is back. I was not a fan of Ms. Campbell when she was on Party of Five and The Craft. It was only after the original Scream trilogy finished that I became a huge fan of hers, when I saw her in Robert Altman's The Company, in 2003...but back to Scream. Let's hope Mr. Craven signs on to direct because it won't be the same without his expert touch! Boy, that's when you know you're getting old....when the period when you were in high school gets a nostalgic revival!

The Love Game

LoveGame is one of my favorite Lady GaGa songs but The Love Game is the title of a new short film that is now showing as part of an online showcase of new filmmaking talent, sponsored by US fashion retail giant, Bloomingdale's. I gotta be honest and tell you that I am a huge fan of the leading lady in this short film. Her name is Noelle Lynch and yes, she has been featured in previous posts on this blog! Watch the movie coz it'll only take a few minutes and then, cast your vote for The Love Game!

The Emmys 2009

So, the 61st Emmy Awards took place on Sunday night...from the reviews that I've read and the clips that I've seen on youtube, it was a pretty good show, due in no small part to the considerable charm and talents of host and best supporting actor in a comedy series nominee (he parlayed his loss to Jon Cryer of Two and a Half Men into great material for the show), Neil Patrick Harris, who also did a great job of hosting the Tony Awards back in June...perhaps, the Oscars are next? Of course, it's all about the awards, the nominees and more importantly, the winners. I'm particularly pleased about 30 Rock winning the best comedy series award for the third consecutive year (joining a handful of shows that have achieved this rare feat). Normally, I hate repeat winners (and this year was full of them, with Mad Men, Glenn Close and Bryan Cranston all winning in the same categories that they won for the previous year) but 30 Rock is one of my favorite shows of all time so I can only hope that one day, it will match Frasier's (another one of my all time favorites) record of five consecutive wins as best comedy series at the Emmys.

It was a good night for Tony-winning Broadway stars, with both Kristin Chenoweth and Cherry Jones taking home Emmys for their supporting roles on Pushing Daisies and 24, respectively. I particularly enjoyed Kristin Chenoweth's category, where each of the nominees donned funny glasses when their names were announced...except for the diva that is Vanessa Williams...I wonder if that was because she genuinely did not want to participate or if her non-participation was her 'bit'.

The sublime Alec Baldwin won his second consecutive Emmy for his work on 30 Rock.



Jessica Lange beat out her costar, Drew Barrymore, to the best actress in a movie made for television or mini-series award for her role as Big Edie in HBO's Grey Gardens and she seemed more thrilled to win this Emmy than when she won her best actress Oscar for Blue Sky fourteen years ago. It was quite poignant when she said that 'this part was a gift and they don't come around that often for me anymore'. I was also really happy to see the elegant Shohreh Aghdashloo win the best supporting actress in a movie made for television or mini-series for her role in House of Saddam. I have been a fan of the Iranian-born actress ever since she was nominated for the best supporting actress Oscar for her mesmerizing work in House of Sand and Fog. What a joy and a great inspiration to me to see someone like Shohreh, who comes from a culture so marginally represented in the western media and who came to Hollywood late in life, win one of America's highest-profile honors in mainstream entertainment.

The Waterina

Oh, my goodness...it is disgraceful of me that the last post on here was from August! As a newbie blogger, I know that I have to keep posting on a regular basis or else the momentum of the blog will just lag and eventually, it will die...like a poor abandoned dog that's been left to fend for itself in a cruel, cruel world. I was in Thailand and I did not have the resources to update this blog but now, I'm back!!!

I have been in Singapore for eight days now and I just want to share a few pictures of my current home. I'm living in a part of town that is known as the red light district of Singapore but what people want to do with themselves is their business and I couldn't care less. The condo is known as 'The Waterina' and it is in Geylang. In addition to the centre piece swimming pool, there are other facilities, including an ass-scaldingly hot jacuzzi and a basic but functional gym, where I can do my 5km run without being hindered by the heat and the humidity that comes with living so close to the equator!

This is the bedroom...those of you who know me well might recognize my teddybear on the right and for those of you who don't me that well, yes, I am a 29 year old man who still owns a teddybear!

The apartment itself is on the top floor and it's a fairly spacious pad as far as one-bedroom apartments go but the thing that makes it truly special is the walk-in wardrobe in the bedroom, what the locals call a 'bunker'...I feel so glamma-US whenever I step in there to decide which pair of Calvin Kleins or 2(x)ists to wear...like a classy trophy wife!

The final shot is the view from the apartment...the swimming pool is lit up at night...yes, in the immortal words of Ja Rule, I'm livin' it up!