Jake Cuenca as Hubert Webb

Further in the rape of sensibility, actor Jake Cuenca has expressed
interest in playing Hubert Webb, recently acquitted for the Vizconde Massacre,in a movie or TV project.

Of course, I’d like to do it because it’s an interesting role. Syempre yung Vizconde massacre eh magandang bigyang buhay yun
kasi may awareness dun sa nangyari eh, (Of course, it would be good
to recreate the Vizconde Massacre because there’s awareness
about what happened)” he said.

No such awareness, though, on how much in bad taste massacre movies are.

In Defense of Carlo J.C. (J.C. stands for Jesus Christ)

God Help Us! Carlo J. Caparas has a point, or at least a talking point worth spinning into the age-old rich vs. poor rhetoric that political debate at any level always boils down to.

In a recent radio interview, Direk Carlo J., argued that other National Artists protesting his being awarded a National Artist are dry, old academics whose works are only read in college classrooms. He, on the other hand, is “a National Artist who came from the masses.”

National Artists Virgilio Almario, F. Sionil Jose and Bienvenido Lumbera should be kissing his feet, he said, because finally, there is a national artist “who the masses can identify with—someone who walks beside them, someone who can inspire them.” Inspire them to massacre people, I suppose, or to put on superhero costumes. Or maybe the object lesson is to pray to God in the face of horrible crimes. Whatever. The point is the inspiration is right there for the taking. Whereas, of course, students have to slog through novels and short stories (and go to college, I guess) before picking up some sort of lesson from these old writer guys.

And, really, that’s it isn’t it? A National Artist should be someone who embodies the culture of his people. And if we happen to appreciate fantaseryes and komiks more than we do literature and films that make us think, then Carlo J. Caparas as national artist makes total sense. In the end, the main criterion is “having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts.” Nobody said that it should be a development we necessarily welcome.

And come on, guys. How can anyone argue with his wife Donna Villa who said “even Jesus Christ was criticized because of his boldness to save mankind from sins”? Do you know who else has used that defense? Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Also, and to much less success, Jesus.

I am Jesus. Christ!

I am Jesus. Christ!

It’s the same thing with Nazis and Godwin’s Law, I guess. As the list of someone’s critics in a Catholic third world country grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Jesus approaches 1. This is M‘s Law, and marks the end of rational discussion.

Nicole Reflux

Call it Nicole Reflux–or whatever it’s called when an alleged victim of  sexual abuse does a 180 and settles out of court and gives serious bloggers an excuse to be fashionably cynical– but it’s happened again. And it couldn’t have happened to a bigger douche bag.

This guy.

This guy.

read more »

Richard Gutierrez, a bit of a douche

Richard Gutierrez, in a dick move, recently filed a P25-million libel case against showbiz blog Philippine Entertainment Portal for some bit of gossip about an alleged confrontation between him and Michael Flores (who is probably also famous) where he supposedly pulled out a gun.

Which is fine. The law, in all its majesty, allows the richest of us to seek redress from those who have injured us.

It does not, however, allow us to use the court system as some sort of avenue for an inquisition (not expressly, anyway.) Which is what this seems to be, considering what he had to say about it:

“We just want to get to the bottom of this and we want to find out the truth kung sino’ng tao ang nasa likod nito [who were the people behind this]”

read more »