Can't Wait to Watch...Nine

Nine is got to be THE film of 2009. Directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha), this musical film is based on Arthur Kopit's book of the same name which won Best Musical in the 1982 Tony Awards. The film centers on Guido Contini (Daniel Day Lewis), a famed film director beset with a mid-life crisis that is obstructing his creativity and "entangling him in a web of romantic difficulties in early-1960s Venice."



With a powerful and sizzling cast that includes Oscar winners Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman (I hope the botox does not ruin her acting. Australia, anyone?), Marion Cotillard (I'm still in awe of her performance in La Vie En Rose), Penelope Cruz (the new Woody Allen muse), Sophia Loren and Judi Dench, do I smell Oscars in 2010? It's too early to predict but the producers should learn from the Dreamgirls, The Dark Knight and Australia's predicament: too much puffery = Best Picture snub.



After numerous cast swaps and production delays, the film is already in post-production and is set for a November 25, 2009 release. Oh, did I mention that Kate Hudson is in the film? The perrenial question is: Can she sing?

Kick-Ass Songs for April 2009

1) I DO NOT HOOK UP (Kelly Clarkson) - When Kelly opens up her mouth, the song can never go wrong. I Do Not Hook Up is a resounding testament to that. Reminiscent of her smashing hit Since You've Been Done, the new track is an amalgamation of big drums overload, vocal bravura and angsty declarations. The result? A pop-rock musical tour de force. The second song released from Clarkson's chart-topping album All I Ever Wanted (a saving grace from her commercially dismal My December), I Do Not Hook Up is penned by the singer who inspired girls to make out with their girlfriends, the sexual provocateur Katy Perry.




2) ROC (Beyonce) - Yes, roc without a k! But sidestepping its etymology, Roc is a laidback, smooth, easy-to-hear musical indulgence. This yet to be released ballad from the sultry diva's album I Am Sasha Fierce, the song is a homage to Beyonce's formulaic repertoire: cozy, karaoke-worthy tempo (Irreplaceable) + near-cheesy lyrics (Cater 2 U). Not that I mind, though!




3) INSOMNIA (Craig David) - Hail to Neyo and Chris Brown for making R&B dance so cool! It's latest advocate: Craig David. Back from a musical hiatus, the Brit is back to the airwaves with Insomnia from the album Greatest Hits. Upbeat, addictive, danceable and suffused with hard bassline beats, I bet you couldn't resist gyrating your moves sans singing "I never thought that I'd fall in love, love, love, love / But it grew from a simple crush, crush, crush, crush..."

The Fiercest of Them All: The Ebony Beauties Face-Off

"[It's like] there's only room," quips Conor Kennedy, a booker at Elite Model Management, "for one very successful black model at a time."

An erudition for the uninitiated: Naomi Campbell, of course, was the trailblazer of the revolution. A few years later, Tyra Banks, with her festive catwalk, took over fierce-dom. Liya Kebede (my all-time favorite), for the meantime, is savoring her reign as the current paragon.

As fashion is fleeting, so is the ebony muse. Just when I thought all the ebony beauties in the modelling scene have been written off, Chanel, Jourdan and Arlenis are quick to redeem the legacy. Gosh, three equally catwalk divas in their own right! But, methinks three is quite a crowd on the runway and only the fiercest shall rightfully bring home the bacon. Take your pick!




CHANEL IMAN

Age: 19

Nationality: American

Trademark: Nose

A-ha Moment: Discovered after winning runner up in the Ford Supermodel of the World Contest in 2006

Claim(s) to Fame: Advertising campaigns for Bottega Veneta, GAP, Victoria's Secret Pink, and United Colors of Benetton

Vogue cover appearance in May 2007 alongside with 9 new crop of supermodels

MTV's House of Style correspondent gig with Bar Rafaeli





JOURDAN DUNN

Age: 18

Nationality: British

Trademark: Legs

A-ha Moment: Discovered while shopping with a friend at Primark at the young age of 16

Claim to Fame: Best Model of the Year at the 2008 British Fashion Show Awards





ARLENIS SOSA

Age: 19

Nationality: Dominican

Trademark: Lips

A-ha Moment: Discovered while she was walking with her family

Claim to Fame: Lancome endorsement deal



VERDICT: And the fiercest of them all? Easily, Chanel Iman. Jourdan may be the most facially gorgeous but Chanel's vivacity is just too hard to resist. She's like Tyra Banks meets Liya Kebede - ebullient and coquettish yet subtle and restrained. Though the most novice among the trio, give Arlenis a year or two to come out of her shell and she'll give Chanel a run for her money. It goes without saying then that if this is a Thakoon Spring collection show, the pecking order of the finale should look like this: Chanel walks first followed by Jourdan and then by Arlenis.

Remembering Mama...

Dear Mama,

To say how I terribly miss you is a sheer understatement. It's been ten years since you said goodbye to us. How time quickly flies when every pain you had to endure, every struggle you had to battle to defy death is still vivid in my memory! The multitude of medical apparatus attached to your body, the countless medicine you had to take, the agonizing sound of your breaths: I confess I still wake up at night wishing everything was just a bad dream. Acceptance is a gesture I still steer clear of. But when I realize I haven't spoken the word Mama in a decade now, I feel defeated.

Life went on, though, as if a consolation. But it was far from normal: the forced maturity, the misspent youth and the question of identity. (Normalcy, it pains me to know, is something I could never reclaim.) Thus my introvert personality. Thus, my twisted set of convictions.

Happiness, it seems, is an elusive circumstance. There's only isolation, angst and melancholy. Time and again, I ponder on the highs and lows of my life, an unmistakable missing link always sufraces: YOU.

Perhaps, you couldn't be much prouder that we didn't turn out to be as total screw-ups, only confused and lost. Yes, there were times of near-surrender but I pressed on: what doesn't kill you makes you only stronger.

I've already grown past naievete. I now am capable of giving love. I no longer fear death. It's part of the natural order, I'm told: birth, unrequited love and, ultimately, death.

If death means an anticipation of the bliss that it brings on being with you again, then I'm glad to know that everything will finally come full circle. And maybe happiness will not be as elusive as it seems.

'Tis.

Your loving son,
J.

Tiger Beat Questionnaire

The following set of questions first appeared in 1967 when Tiger Beat Magazine editors throw them at The Monkees. Fast forward to 2008, Movies Rock did the same thing to Lost in Translation star, Bill Murray. Now, The Potentate puts them to himself.

How would your mother describe you in one word?

Kick-ass. (Is that one word?)

What is your favorite flower?

My grandmother's roses. God knows how she labored to flower those plants!

What is the most insane question you've ever been asked?

Are you a top or a bottom? Get a grip, moron, I don't wanna compromise!

What word/phrase in the English language do you wish you had invented?

Unrequited love. The phrase and me seem to really hit it pretty well.

Where would you like to live?



In Devonshire around 18th century. I'll tell Her Grace Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire: Your husband is a PIG! Leave him and get a life! And oh, here's some Prozac for you!

What is the first quote that comes to your mind?

"Don't quote me or I'll quote you," from a respected broadcast journalist whom my classmates and I interviewed. She was so spaced out during the interview that left us befuddled: Was she being funny or just plain crazy? She now covers the Malacanang beat for GMA.

What do you miss about your childhood?

Free food, clothing and shelter. When you're grown up, you'll only get those freebies in jail.

If you could change your name, what would you changed it to?

The Potentate. For my mother to feel vindicated and for my father to realize how stupid he was to choose a testosterone-ridden name.

Who is your favorite historical figure?



Marie Antoinette. She was the grand epitome of fierceness. Did she really say, "Let them eat cake?"

Describe how you kiss in one word?

Ask the kissees! I hate self-elevating my status. It's very uncalled for.

If you met the right person today, would you propose tomorrow?

No. A ring will cost me a fortune. I'm a bum at present. And if money would not be an option, I'll stick to my guns: NO. I hate cliches and all the high dramas involved.

What in the world would you least desire?

My former boss' sense of humor (or the lack thereof).

Why do you think most persons date you?

I echo Bill Murray's sentiment: morbid curiosity.

Finish the sentence: "Happiness is a thing called..."

Having your cake and eating it, too.