Karaoke: HAVE A LITTLE FAITH... (Mandy Moore)

When the road gets dark / And you can no longer see / Let my love throw a spark / And have a little faith in me / When the tears you cry / Are all you can believe / Just give these loving arms a try baby / And have a little faith, faith in me / Have a little faith in me / Have a little faith in me / And have a little faith in me / Have a little faith, faith in me / When your secret heart / Cannot speak so easily / Come here baby, from a whisper start / To have a little faith in me / And when your back's against the wall / Just turn around and you, you will see / I will catch your, I will catch your fall / Just have a little faith, faith in me / Have a little faith in me / Have a little faith in me / Have a little faith in me / Have a little faith, have faith in me / Well, I've been loving you / For such a long, long time / Expecting nothing in return / Just for you to have a little faith in me / You see time, time is our friend / 'Cause for us there is no end / All you gotta do / Is have a little faith in me / I will hold you up / I will hold you up / And your love gives me strength enough to / Have a little faith in me / Oh, hey... oh, darlin' / Have a little faith in me / Lalalalala lalala laaa / Oooh oh... oooh oh... / Lalalalala lalala laaa / Faith...

Bayan Knights # 1

Since I was not able to attend KOMIKON last Saturday, I was not able to get a copy of Bayan Knights # 1 ...until today. Anyways, here goes the review:

NO MAJOR SPOILAGE! The issue deals with the aftermath of a bloody battle dubbed as "The War In Metro". But this war is not yet over. Still, a mysterious enemy is threatening the peace of the country and one man has made it his mission to stop whatever it is they're planning. But first, he must recruit heroes who will fight at his side.

I love this issue! I was already spoiled for the storyline 2 months prior but man, seeing the words on the art was awesome. As I've said before, the art is Gilbert Monsanto's best work to date. I love me those details. Reading the script for this 2 months ago, I was really psyched. It's a team book but the team is composed of superheroes created by different people -- the first time in Philippine komiks (I think). I like the way each character is introduced and how each of them plays a relevant part either in the plot or making the book more fun. Although, some characters do really stand out from the rest. Yes, Boy Ipis, I'm looking at you and all your ridiculous side comments.

Here's hoping we don't have to wait too long for issue # 2. Damn, it's hard reviewing this without giving away too much. So I'll be cutting this short. Oh before I forget, there are also 2-page spotlights ala DC's Secret Origins backup feature. This should give readers additional background information on some of the Bayan Knights.

Reviewing TROPA # 2

This week, Sacred Mountain was finally able to release the long awaited second issue of Tropa. I was fortunate enough to find that a copy of the said issue was already available at Comic Odyssey in Eastwood City, Libis. So here goes... but first a complementary recap:

Last issue, we learned that for some weird coincidence (or it may be fate) a group of five friends have found themselves empowered with different abilities. Although at first not all of them knew about each other's powers, a reunion of sorts have had them reveal each others secrets to one another. However, this reunion was interrupted when they are suddenly attacked by a group of manananggals.

NO MAJOR SPOILAGE: Now... here's what I like about the story-telling style used by Mr. Monsanto: it's like watching the television series Lost. As the team go about attempting to ward off their attackers, we also learn a few more tidbits about their past... some more mysterious than others. And while some questions are answered, we also get new mysteries like: Who the heck is kuya? What the heck is she? What will happen to the new guy?

There are some beats of the story that I don't think fits one another: like mixing science-fiction (time-travel and an apocalyptic future) with fantastical elements (magic and monsters). But it's just me. Maybe in the long run I'll be able to love the mesh of these genres (like I was able to love the mesh of space and western on Firefly). I also have an inkling to where one subplot may go but I'm a sucker for this type of tragedies. I just hope that I'll get a wonderful surprise in the end.

I would also like to commend the fact that even though the art on this komik is a collaboration among may talents in the industry, it wasn't inconsistent. My greatest fear about this book is that the art would suck because we get a different artist on every page. I am happy to report that that is not the case. The artists' styles seamlessly complement one another resulting in a unnoticable change (okay, so maybe a little) in art style. I just hope that we always get this on every issue.

All in all it was a good issue and I will be coming back for more installments of this tale. I just hope that I don't have to wait another year for issue 3.

Karaoke: CRUSH (Mandy Moore)

Haah ohh, yeah yeah yeah / Haah ohh (haah ohh) / You know everything that I'm afraid of / You do everything I wish I did / Everybody wants you / Everybody loves you / I know I should tell you how I feel / I wish everyone would disappear / Every time you call me / I'm too scared to be me / And I'm too shy to say / Ooh, I got a crush on you / I hope you feel the way that I do / I get a rush when I'm with you / Ooh, I got a crush on you / A crush on you / You know I'm the one that you can talk to / Sometimes you tell me things that I don't want to know / I just want to hold you / You say exactly how you feel about her / I wonder could you ever think of me that way / I got a crush on you / I hope you feel the way that I do / I get a rush when I'm with you / Ooh, I got a crush on you / A crush on you / Ooh, I wish I could tell somebody / But there's no one to talk to / Nobody knows I got a crush on you / A crush on you / I got a crush / Hey, hey yeah, hey yeah yeah / I got a crush / I got a crush on you / You say everything that no one says / But I feel everything that you're afraid to feel / I will always want you / I will always love you / I got a crush on you / I hope you feel the way that I do / I get a rush when I'm with you / Ooh, I got a crush on you / A crush on you / I got a crush... on you / I hope you feel the way that I do / I get a rush when I'm with you / Ooh, I've got a crush on... / Yeah yeah, hey yeah yeah / I got a crush / I got a crush on you / I got a crush / I got a crush / Crush, babe / I got a crush on you / I got a crush on you / A crush on you / I got a crush / I got a crush

Reviewing RAMBOL and TROPA # 1

I was finally able to get my hands on Gilbert Monsanto's Sacred Mountain debut releases. First up is the flipbook RAMBOL KOMIKS which features Alagad Inc. (not pictured) and Metropolitan. What is most noticeable is ALAGAD INC's art style which gets much inspiration from Japanese manga and anime. The story is about some supernatural beings, most probably ancient deities of some sort, coming down from their domain to send a challenge to Earth's mightiest champions. A group called Alagad Inc. re-recruits some of its best agents to help in this time of crisis. On the flip side is Gilbert Monsanto's METROPOLITAN which brings back Monsanto's old characters from his 90's stint in Infinity, Sonic, GASI etc. Drawn by Monsanto himself, this Metropolitan features quite a lot of fight sequences. There is also some hint that the Biotrog character featured in this book may not be the Biotrog we know and grew up with.

Next is TROPA. This comics stars a group of high school friends imbued with different abilities via different circumstances. I'm not saying no more. All is explained in this "origin" issue. This comic was drawn by different artists like Gilbert Monsanto, Luisito G. Antonio, Jim Jimenez, and others. Though I was first bothered when I learned about this via Monsanto's blog, I was quite satisfied with the implementation and the results. Each artist draws each of the main character's origin story. Hopefully once we get a non-flashback story, we'll also get only one artist per issue.

All in all, I found the both books quite satisfactory. The materials used for these releases are also quite different from the komiks back in the day. Komiks before were printed on newspaper-like materials, Tropa was printed on glossy paper probably the ones used on magazines while Rambol on some thicker paper. My only big problem with the books specifically the flipbook Rambol Komiks was the coloring. Although Tropa was fully colored, Rambol only had colors on the first few pages, the rest were black and white. I would have preferred to have everything in black and white instead of having only the first few pages colored. I'm OC that way.

Karaoke: OVER AND OVER (Nelly & Tim McGraw)

Uh uh-uh-uh / Uh uh-uh-uh / Uh uh-uh-uh / 'Cause it's all in my head / I think about it over and over again / And I can't keep picturing you with him / And it hurts so bad, yeah / 'Cause it's all in my head / I think about it over and over again / I replay it over and over again / And I can't take it (yeah) / I can't shake it, no / I can't wait to see you / Want to see if you still got that look in your eyes / That one you had for me / Be-fore we said our goodbyes / And it's a shame that we / Gotta spend our time being mad about the same things / Over and over again / About the same thing / Over and over again / Oh, but I think she's leavin' / Oh, man, she's leavin' / I don't know what else to do / (I can't go on not lovin' you) / 'Cause it's all in my head / I think about it over and over again / And I can't keep picturing you with him / And it hurts so bad, yeah / 'Cause it's all in my head / I think about it over and over again / I replay it over and over again (yeah) / And I can't take it (yeah) / I can't shake it, no / I remember the day you left / I remember the last breath you took right in front of me / When you said that you would leave / I was too damn stubborn to try to stop you or say anything / But I see clearly now / And this choice I made keeps playin' in my head / Over and over again / Keep playin' in my head / Over and over again / Oh, I think she's leavin' / Oh, man, she's leavin' / I don't know what else to do / (I can't go on not lovin' you) / 'Cause it's all in my head / I think about it over and over again / And I can't keep picturing you with him / And it hurts so bad, yeah / 'Cause it's all in my head / I think about it over and over again / I replay it over and over again / And I can't take it / I can't shake it, no / Now that I've realized / That I'm going down / From all this pain you've put me through / Everytime I close my eyes (whoo, whoo) / I lock it down / Oh, I can't go on not lovin' you / 'Cause it's all in my head / I think about it over and over again / And I can't keep picturing you with him / And it hurts so bad, yeah / 'Cause it's all in my head / I think about it over and over again / I replay it over and over again / And I can't take it / I can't shake it, no / Uh uh-uh-uh / Uh uh-uh-uh / Uh uh-uh-uh / Uh uh-uh-uh / Uh uh-uh-uh / Uh, over and over again / Over and over again / 'Cause it's all in my head

Karaoke: PRIVATE EMOTION (Ricky Martin ft. Meja)

Every endless night / Has a dawning day / Every darkest sky / Has a shining ray / And it shines on you / Baby, can't you see / You're the only one / Who can shine for me / It's a private emotion / That fills you tonight / And a silence falls between us / As the shadows steal the light / And wherever you may find it / Wherever it may lead / Let your private emotion come to me / (Come to me, come to me) / Come to me / When your soul is tired / And your heart is weak / Do you think of love / As a one-way street / Well, it runs both ways / Open up your eyes / Can't you see me here / How can you deny? / Oh, it's a private emotion / That fills you tonight / And the silence falls between us / As the shadows steal the light / And wherever you may find it / Wherever it may lead / Let your private emotion come to me / (Come to me, come to me) / Every endless night / Has a dawning day / Every darkest sky / Has a shining ray / It takes a lot to laugh / As your tears go by / But you can find me here / 'Til your tears run dry / It's a private emotion / That fills you tonight / And the silence falls between us / As the shadows steal the light / And wherever you may find it / Wherever it may lead / Let your private emotion come to me / Let your private emotion come to me / Let your private emotion come to me / Come to me / Come to me

Karaoke: BARENAKED (Jennifer Love Hewitt)

Do you ever have that dream / Where you're walking / Naked down the street / And everyone just stares / Do you ever feel so deep / That you speak your mind / You put others straight to sleep / You wonder if anybody cares / Sometimes I think / I'm the only one / Whose day turned out / Unlike it had begun / And I feel bare naked / And I just can't take it / I'm getting jaded / No, I just can't fake it anymore / 'Cuz I'm bare naked / And I know life's what you make it / Wish I could float away / To some other day / You ever go downstairs / To start your day / But your car's not there / Yeah, you know the joke's on you / You ever try your luck / With a pickup line / But you just sucked / You tell yourself it wasn't you / And I know it's hard / To hold it inside / It's days like these / I run and hide / When I feel bare naked / And I just can't take it / I'm getting jaded / No, I just can't fake it anymore / 'Cuz I'm bare naked / And I know life's what you make it / Wish I could float away / To some other day / It's all a state of mind / But I don't mind / Trying to find a way / To keep my head above the mess I made / And what the world creates / Sometimes it feels so good / To let it all fall / As the world fall / I may fall / We all may fall / And then the world comes tumbling / Down down down down down / Bare naked / And I just can't take it / I'm getting jaded / No, I just can't fake it anymore / 'Cuz I'm bare naked / And I know life's what you make it / Wish I could float away / To some other day / When I feel / Doo-ooh doo doo, doo / Na na na dum dum dum / Ooh-ooh oh oh oh oh / I feel (barenaked), you feel, we all feel / Na na na na na / Oh-oh oh-oh oh oh (barenaked) / Ooh doo doo doo dum dum

Karaoke: THAT DAY (Natalie Imbruglia)

That day, that day / What a mess, what a marvel / I walked into that cloud again / And I lost myself / And I'm sad, sad, sad / Small, alone, scared / Craving purity / A fragile mind / And a gentle spirit / That day, that day / What a marvelous mess / This is all I that can do / I'm done to be me / Sad, scared, small / Alone, beautiful / It's supposed to be like this / I accept everything / It's supposed to be like this / That day, that day / I lay down beside myself / In this feeling of pain / Sadness, scared, small / Climbing, crawling / Towards the light / And it's all that I see / And I'm tired / And I'm right / And I'm wrong / And it's beautiful / That day, that day / What a mess, what a marvel / We're all the same / And no one thinks so / And it's okay and I'm small / And I'm divine / And it's beautiful / And it's coming / And it's already here / And it's / Absolutely perfect / Well that day, that day / When everything was a mess / And everything was in place / And there's too much hurt / Sad, small, scared, alone / And everyone's a cynic / And it's hard / And it's sweet / But it's supposed to be like this / Well that day, that day / When I sat in the sun / And I thought / And I cried cos I'm sad / Scared, small, alone, strong / And I'm nothing and I'm true / Only a brave man can break through / And it's all okay / Yeah it's okay / That day, that day / I lay down beside myself / In this feeling of pain / Sadness, scared, small / Climbing, crawling / Towards the light / And it's all that I see / And I'm tired / And I'm right / And I'm wrong / And it's beautiful / That day, that day / What a mess, what a marvelous mess / We're all the same / And no one thinks so / And it's okay and I'm small / And I'm divine / And it's beautiful / And it's coming / And it's already here / And it's / Absolutely perfect / Oh ohh, ah ah / That day, that day / (Mmm) That day, that day / That day, that day / When I lay down beside myself / In this feeling of pain / Sadness, scared, small / Climbing, crawling / Towards the light / And it's all that I see / And I'm tired / And I'm right / And I'm wrong / And it's beautiful / That day, that day / What a mess, what a marvelous mess / We're all the same / And no one thinks so / And it's okay and I'm small / And I'm divine / And it's beautiful / And it's coming / And it's already here / And it's / Absolutely perfect / That day, that day / That day, that day / That day, that day / That day, that day / So sweet / Can you feel it (Mmm) / Are you here / Are you here with me / I can feel it / And it's beautiful / That day, that day

Karaoke: TORN (Natalie Imbruglia)

I thought I saw a man brought to life / He was warm / He came around / Like he was dignified / He showed me what it was to cry / Well you couldn't be that man I adored / You don’t seem to know / Don’t seem to care / What your heart is for / But I don’t know him anymore / There’s nothing where he used to lie / My conversation has run dry / That’s what’s going on / Nothing's fine, I’m torn / I'm all out of faith / This is how I feel / I'm cold and I am shamed / Lying naked on the floor / Illusion never changed / Into something real / I'm wide awake and I can see / The perfect sky is torn / You're a little late / I’m already torn / So I guess the fortune teller's right / Should have seen / Just what was there / And not some holy light / But you crawled beneath my veins and now / I don't care, I have no luck / I don't miss it all that much / There's just so many things / That I can’t touch, I’m torn / I'm all out of faith / This is how I feel / I'm cold and I am shamed / Lying naked on the floor / Illusion never changed / Into something real / I'm wide awake and I can see / The perfect sky is torn / You’re a little late / I’m already torn / Torn / Ooh ooh-ooh ooh / There’s nothing where he used to lie / My inspiration has run dry / That’s what’s going on / Nothings right, I’m torn / I’m all out of faith / This is how I feel / I’m cold and I am shamed / Lying naked on the floor / Illusion never changed / Into something real / I’m wide awake and I can see / The perfect sky is torn / I’m all out of faith / This is how I feel / I’m cold and I’m ashamed / Bound and broken on the floor / You’re a little late / I’m already torn / Torn / Oh

Karaoke: WHEN YOU'RE GONE (Bryan Adams)

I've been wandering around the house all night / Wondering what the hell to do / Yeah, I'm trying to concentrate / But all I can think of is you / Well, the phone don't ring 'cuz my friends ain't home / I'm tired of being all alone / Got the TV on 'cuz the radio's playing / Songs that remind me of you / Baby, when you're gone / I realize I'm in love / The days go on and on / And the nights just seem so long / Even food don't taste that good / Drink ain't doing what it should / Things just feel so wrong / Baby, when you're gone (yeah) / I've been driving up and down these streets / Trying to find somewhere to go / Yeah, I'm lookin' for a familiar face / But there's no one I know / Oh, this is torture, this is pain / It feels like I'm gonna go insane / I hope you're coming back real soon / 'Cuz I don't know what to do / Baby, when you're gone (when you're gone) / I realize I'm in love / The days go on and on (on and on) / And the nights just seem so long / Even food don't taste that good / Drink ain't doing what it should / Things just feel so wrong (oh, yeah) / Baby, when you're gone / Oh baby, when you're gone (when you're gone) / I realize I'm in love (so in love) / The days go on and on / And the nights just seem so long / Even food don't taste that good (oh ooh-oh) / Drink ain't doing what it should (oh) / Things just feel so wrong (so wrong) / Baby, when you're gone (yeah, gone) / Oh baby, when you're gone / Ha, yeah, baby, when you're gone

Must See: Supernatural

THE PREMISE: 22 years ago, their mother died hanging... no, wait... flat on the ceiling of Sam’s nursery. Their father saved them but there was a fire and everything was gone. Present Day, Dean visits Sam and tells him their dad has been on a hunting trip and hasn’t been home since. The catch was that their dad was hunting the thing that killed their mother 22 years ago. Thus was born the moster-hunting duo of the brothers Winchester.

The series centers around brothers Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) while they travel across the country in search for their missing father. We learn that ever since their mother died, their father has been training them to prepare for anything supernatural because their mother was in fact killed by a demon.

Taking cue from other hit-shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the X-Files, Supernatural unleashes a variety of demons and monsters on an unknowing world. The season is split in dual narrative form as each episode features a self-contained story while building on the mythology of the entire series much like the aforementioned shows. Anyone who's a fan of the supernatural (no pun intended) will dig the show's mix of monsters & drama.

Must See: Firefly

Today I've finished watching all the episodes of another Joss Whedon show called FIREFLY. I wasn't expecting too much from this show ...okay I was. I'd watch anything from Joss Whedon. The show which aired on FOX received mixed reviews. Possibly because FOX (as always) screwed with the series production. They also aired the episodes out of the creators' intended order. You DON'T mess with Joss Whedon's work. Even idiots know that. That must mean, those FOX execs are really   insert curse words here  .

THE PREMISE: Set 500 years into the future, Earth as we know it is no more. A large population travelled to space and started living on different planets and moons which were fitted to somewhat resemble Earth. There was a war for Unification and it succeeded. Unfortunately, we're on the losing side. Mal Reynolds struggles as a captain of a small space freighter called Serenity, taking whatever jobs that come his way - legal or otherwise. Mal's (Nathan Fillion) crew includes former war buddy Zoe (Gina Torres) and her husband and the ship's pilot Wash (Alan Tudyk), mechanic Kaley (Jewel Staite) and hired-gun Jayne (Adam Baldwin). Along for the ride is a respectable member of the Companion's Guild named Inara (Morena Baccarin). Later, the crew are joined by a Shepard named Book (Ron Glass) and siblings Simon (Sean Maher) and River (Summer Glau).

Honestly, I've never been a fan of "space" shows. I might've watched a couple of movies and some episodes of Star Trek here and there but I wasn't really looking forward to it. It was just there. Much more westerns. Frankly, when I heard about Firefly's premise as a space-western, I wasn't really interested. But it's a Joss Whedon show so I must at least take a look. Man, was I surprised. This is not you're usual space show with aliens, ambassadors and a righteous crew. First off, the show has no aliens. All characters are human, some more than others. Second, the Firefly crew are not on a mission from the ruling government/federation/alliance. These are just normal people finding whatever jobs to survive. But it's much more. The dialogue and storytelling are great as one would expect from Mutant Enemy. The characters are all witty and entertaining. Hell, there are really some hilarious moments involving Simon and the crew.

Even though the show has been cancelled by those   insert curse words here   execs from FOX, the show has already developed a loyal fan base which have not only held campaigns to keep the show alive for another run (possibly on a different network) but have also raised money for charity in the name of Firefly. Oh and now there's a movie.

ANGEL: Fan-made Season 6 Teaser

Here is another video I found surfing the internet. It’s a fan made teaser for ANGEL season 6. I haven’t done an entry about it but it’s also one cool show. It’s about a vampire running a detective agency in Los Angeles. Anyways, the show was cancelled after five seasons. However, this show has a large cult following just like its sister-show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ergo the fan-made Season 6 teaser trailer which may contain spoilers from the last minutes of Angel season 5. You've been warned. Watch at your own risk.

Banned Spider-Man Trailer

My brother has been telling me about YouTube for months and I never listened. Finally re-discovered it thru links from Whedonesque and look what I found -- it's the original Spider-Man trailer that got pulled out from cinemas (Edited: now links to PhotoBucket instead). I remember seeing this for the first time on the theatre and didn't pay much attention. Didn't know that was the first and last time I was going to see it. Heh, I remember thinking that it was a trailer for another action movie by some big-named Hollywood actor like Bruce Willis or Arnold Schwartzenegger. Bank robberies are such a common theme for action movies, I never imagined it to turn out the way it did. Go watch.