Music

Bring Back the ’90s!

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Yoshke in Celebrities, Entertainment, Music, TV |

Pageant Play Pretend

It’s that time of the year again when the fleeting euphoria brought about by the Miss Universe pageant sweeps the nation. I’m not a big fan of beauty pageants but when I woke up this morning, the first thought that popped up in my head was: Miss Universe telecast, live, today. Thanks to the constant TV reminders the night before.

Still, I resisted the temptation to turn the TV on, went on with my morning rituals, and headed straight to work. When I opened my laptop, Miss Universe updates flooded my News Feed — to my delight. When Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup was announced 3rd Runner-up, I felt a little bit disappointed that she didn’t get the crown but I was very proud of her. It was a tricky question but she was able to give a sincere and strong answer. Congrats, Shamcey!

And then, suddenly, I was reminded of the 1994 Miss Universe pageant, which the Philippines hosted. I was very young then. And I remember this junk food sold at sari-sari stores near our school at the time. Each pack came with a free Miss Universe sticker with a photo of a candidate and the name of the country she was representing.

I’m not sure whether it was an indication that I’d turn out to be gay later on but I collected as many as I could. And then I would arrange the stickers and randomly select the Top 10. And then Top 5. And then pick the 4th Runner-Up to the Miss Universe. Repeat from the top.

Wahahahaha.

Sometimes, whenever I wonder why I’m gay I can’t help but blame Charlene Gonzales. And Sushmita Sen. And Dayanara Torres, who turned over the crown that year.

I had never seen Miss Universe since then. Well, until Theresa Licaros competed a few years back. Not again after that.

Showbiz Then

Last Sunday, Aiko Melendez and Jomari Yllana made a guest appearance at Gandang Gabi Vice. I was expecting to be entertained but I wasn’t expecting to be entertained like that. I never thought Aiko Melendez and Jomari Yllana would make me feel something many young stars of today fail to bring — kilig.

Watch their interview here:

Seeing Aiko and Jomari together, seated next to each other brought back so many childhood memories. Aiko Melendez. Gelli De Belen, and Prinsesa ng Brownout. Carmina Villaroel. Vina Morales. Manilyn Reynes. Ruffa Gutierrez. MMFF Scandal. I have previously announced my undying love for Donna Cruz on a separate post.

Jomari Yllana. Mark Anthony Fernandez. Eric Fructuoso. Gwapings. Palibhasa Lalake. Cynthia Patag. Mark Anthony, Claudine Barretto and the Tweety tattoo. Rico Yan. Gimik. Judy Ann Santos. Juday-Jolina rivalry. TGIS.

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My Top 100 All-Time Favorite Love Songs (Part 6)

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Yoshke in Entertainment, Lists, Love, Music |

Just this morning, when I opened up my laptop and launched iTunes, it randomly played Leigh Nash’s Need to Be Next to You. And in an instant, I was reminded of this list and that I had not posted a follow up since August last year. So here it is.

This is the sixth installment of my list of 100 love songs that I am completely in love with. This batch includes singles from number 21-30. Again, this is a personal list — songs that have touched me in many ways. (Click on the title of the song to listen to it.)

30. Leigh Nash – Need to be Next to You

I still haven’t seen the movie Bounce, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck, for which this song was written. But I don’t have to see it for me to love this song. Leigh Nash’s soft, sweet voice fits the melody and the lyrics of the song perfectly. The song is simple, talking about how she needs to always be with the person she’s in love with. But its simplicity makes the song more adorable.

I need to know I can see you smile this morning
Look into your eyes each night for the rest of my life
Here with you, near with you, oh I
I need to be next to you

Not to mention that I’ve always loved Leigh Nash.

29. Up Dharma Down – Oo

TAGOS! When I first heard this song, I was left speechless and before I knew it, I had set this track on loop. It’s just so honest and straightforward, it’s hard not to feel for the singer. The lyrics are brutal and the melody is catchy. So here’s for all who have patiently loved someone so numb, so insensitive and so thick.

Nagtapos ang lahat sa di inaasahang pahanon
At ngayon ako’y iyong iniwan
Luhaan, sugatan, ‘di mapakinabangan
Sana’y nagtanong ka lang
Kung ‘di mo lang alam
Sana’y nagtanong ka lang
Kung ‘di mo lang alam

Ako’y iyong nasaktan
Baka sakali lang maisip mo naman
Hindi mo lang alam
Kay tagal na panahon
Ako’y nandirito pa rin hanggang ngayon para sa’yo

I also love the “Sana nakinig na lang ako sa nanay ko” line. Teehee.

28. The Corrs – What Can I Do

This song is just sad and lovely. Loved it the first time I heard it. Loved The Corrs the moment I heard it.

I haven’t slept at all in days. It’s been so long since we’ve talked.
And I have been here many times. I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong.

What can I do to make you love me? What can I do to make you care?
What can I say to make you feel this? What can I do to get you there?

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It Gets Better. So FCKH8!

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Yoshke in Gay, Music, News, Public Affairs, The World, Videos, Web |

Something beautiful happened over the weekend.

Last Sunday afternoon, October 24, 2010, members of Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA), along with their friends and supporters, came together at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles to work on a project. They were to touch lives with the best way they knew — singing. That afternoon, they produced this incredible video.

I must say, I haven’t cried this much in front of my computer monitor. And I’m in the office for crying out loud. I am moved by this. You can say whatever you want about the song but it expresses perfectly what they wish to send across. It gave me goosebumps. It made me reflect on my own life and realize how lucky I am to get through the worst stages of my life and all the hardships in it. It is true; it gets better.

Sometimes, music does things to us. And kudos to the members of GMCLA and everyone who took part in this inspiring endeavor for spreading the word in a way most people would respond to — music. I’m pretty sure this video is going to change and save lives.

The video is going viral as I write. But another amazing video went viral over the weekend. This one, feistier, catchier, funnier but gets the message through nevertheless.

I’m just not sure about the idea of kids saying “Fuck,” but I like the video. It’s very radical and sometimes that’s all you need to get attention and get everyone to listen. Last week it only had some tens of thousands of views on Youtube but when I checked just 5 minutes ago it’s now way above the million views mark! Good job, FCKH8!

This is an interesting and challenging yet important time for gay people and I believe this is the time to address gay issues. I mean, really address them. Not just gay marriage but also the alarming suicide statistics among gay youths.

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8 Years After Getting ‘Stripped’ | Christina Aguilera

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Yoshke in Music, Reviews, Videos |

Almost exactly eight years ago, Christina Aguilera‘s sophomore album “Stripped” was released. This record was said to be Aguilera’s first attempt to break free from her tired bubblegum image and take control of her career. With a newly found artistic freedom, Aguilera introduced to us music that was very different from songs from her Genie in a Bottle days. And hoping to generate buzz, Dirrty was chosen as the first single.

It generated buzz, alright. But the wrong kind. Dirrty, the song and the music video, and the album Stripped were released to a not very welcoming market and critics. Although an international hit, Dirrty failed miserably in the US. They say it was too provocative, too daring, too desperate. Likewise, the album Stripped was slammed by critics.

Stylus Magazine called it a “car wreck.” Entertainment Weekly noted she sounded “unhappy and unfocused.” The Guardian dubbed it “overlong, oversentimental and sadly overdressed.”

But despite warning from critics, I clearly remember being at a local record store in my hometown and grabbing a copy of this album, wanting to give it a shot, hoping it was worth it. I also remember coming home, playing the record and getting amazed by the album. Screw the critics; to me, it was a beautiful album.

And it wasn’t long before the public realized that it was actually a great album. You know word of mouth was at work when, despite debuting at no.2 at the Billboard 200, the album stayed on the chart for, like, forever and was declared one of the best-selling albums of that year. Not only that, the album slain by critics was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. Crazy world, indeed.

I wouldn’t pick Dirrty as the carrier single had it been me but the entire album was an auditory piece of heaven. I fell in love with the album. I thought it was raw, feisty and hard-hitting. It spoke to me. The album would be my companion and therapist. It would prove to be emotionally helpful in the years to come.

And although I know what I’m about to say will sound like a total cheeseball, one song in particular saved my life. Beautiful was released in December 2002, around Christmas.

It was written by Linda Perry. The first time I listened to the album, I decided that it was the best track for me and I knew it would be the most successful. Beautiful is just beautiful. It speaks for everyone who has been down and trampled on. It is an inspiring song and I know I was not the only one whose life was touched and moved by this song.

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My Top 100 All-Time Favorite Love Songs (Part 5)

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Yoshke in Entertainment, Lists, Music |

Love songs are here to stay. No matter what genre dominates the airwaves, romantic elements just keep on creeping its way into pop. Love songs know no season, gender, age and territory. It’s just so universal. Everyone can relate to love songs.

This is the fifth installment of my list of 100 love songs that I am completely in love with. This batch includes singles from number 31-45. Again, this is a personal list — songs that have touched me in many ways. (Click on the title of the song to listen to it.)

45. Ricky Martin feat Christina Aguilera – Nobody Wants to Be Lonely

I worship Christina Aguilera but most of her songs that I totally adore are not love songs — Beautiful, for example, is very inspirational but is not a love song. Nevertheless, her collaboration with Ricky Martin is a classic for me. It reminds me of my high school days and this song just speaks for many people who have been longing for someone, fearing the idea of being alone.

Time is precious and it’s slipping away
and I’ve been waiting for you all of my life
Nobody wants to be lonely so why
Why don’t you let me love you

Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera were huge superstars at the time and although it did not enjoy extreme success in the US (peaking somewhere around number 13 in US Billboard), I believe it was very successful in the rest of the world.

I also love most of Ricky Martin’s ballads such as She’s All I Ever Had, I Count the Minutes and his work with Meja, Private Emotion.

44. Third Eye Blind – Deep Inside of You

When I heard this song for the first time, I fell in love with it almost instantly. It’s just sensual, romantic and heart-breaking at the same time. I know the kind of sexual reference was intentional, but you can read it in a purely romantic way. The song encapsulates the feeling of being part of a relationship that has just ended but you invested so much emotions that when the relationship died, a part of you died with it.

I’ve never felt alone
Till I met you
I’m alright on my own
And then I met you
And I’d know what to do if I just knew what’s coming

I would change myself if I could
I’d walk with my own people if I could find them,
And I’d say that I’m sorry to you,
I’m sorry to you, and I don’t want to call you,
But then I want to call you cause I don’t want to crush you,
But I feel like crushing you
And it’s true

43. Mariah Carey feat Bone Thugs N Harmony – Breakdown

One thing that I really really really love about Mariah Carey is that she knows how to tell a story using her instruments — the voice and the pen. Mariah is not just an extraordinary vocalist, she’s also a good songwriter. Her songs are very believable — words unpretentious and voice soulful.

You called yesterday to basically say
That you care for me but that you’re just not in love
Immediately I pretended to be feeling similarly
And led you to believe I was O.K.
To just walk away from the one thing
That’s unyielding and sacred to me

I’m sure many of us have loved or cared so much about someone but sadly the feeling is one-way. And when they say that to us upfront, we pretend it doesn’t matter. But the truth is, we are devastated. That’s what Breakdown is all about. It’s just a beautiful song.

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Christina Aguilera and Cher Join Forces in ‘Burlesque’

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Yoshke in Entertainment, Movies, Music |

After Britney Spears’ snooze-fest called Crossroads and Mariah Carey’s near-career-suicide Glitter, Christina Aguilera makes an attempt to debunk the seemingly true idea that contemporary singers are not welcome in the silver screen. I love Britney and Mariah to bits but their performances in their respective first topbilled flicks really disappointed me. (Thank God, Mimi was able to redeem herself in Precious.) This is why I can’t help but be scared for Christina Aguilera, whom I adore as well.

Christina Aguilera’s fourth studio album Bionic was not well-received and there’s just too much undeserved negativity going on around her so I’m starting to fear that Burlesque might even worsen the situation. By the way, here’s the trailer:

After watching the trailer, I had this feeling that it would be a small town girl living in a lonely world going to Hollywood to wear almost nothing on stage cliche. But like what a friend told me, many musicals today are formulaic — Moulin Rouge is cliche as hell, Dreamgirls is freakin’ cliche, even Glee is cliche. What will make or break this movie is the execution.

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God, I Miss Boy Bands!

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Yoshke in Celebrities, Entertainment, Music |

I was just browsing songs on my iPod and I realized that I just miss the boy band era. Haha. I know boy band songs are like 300 different cheesy cheeses rolled into four minutes of music but hey, they are catchy as hell. And damn romantic, too.

I particularly liked the following boy bands and these songs:

98 Degrees — The Hardest Thing, Invisible Man
A1 - Same Old Brand New You, Caught in the Middle
BBMak — Back Here, Still on Your Side
Blue – If You Come Back, Too Close
BoyZone – I Love the Way You Love Me, Baby Can I Hold You
Code Red — What Good is a Heart, This is Our Song
Five – Until the Time is Through, Keep on Movin
LFO – Girl on TV, Summer Girls
NSync - Bye Bye Bye, Gone
O-Town – Liquid Dreams, All or Nothing
Westlife – Flying Without Wings, Swear it Again

No, I didn’t forget the Backstreet Boys. I just didn’t like them that much. Haha.

But if I were to pick just one, I’d say Blue. But I really, really love BBMak’s “Back Here” and LFO’s “Girl on TV.”

So now, I decided to write the Top 10 Boy Bands that we really, really miss. And I want to know who your choices are. Let me ask you this, which boy band was your favorite? Yeah, yeah, you can say Hanson. Mmmbop.

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My Top 100 All-Time Favorite Love Songs (Part 4)

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Yoshke in Lists, Music |

OMG. I can’t believe that it’s been a year since I posted the third part of this list. I have actually completely forgotten about it. LOL. If you’ve been waiting for the fourth installment, I’m sorry for keeping you waiting for 12 full months. So now, here’s the fourth part — top 60 to 46 — of the top 100 love songs that I completely adore. I’m also posting some lyrics to the songs.

60. No Doubt – Don’t Speak

I love No Doubt. I love Gwen Stefani. And I love this song. There’s just something so painful about this song. You know the feeling of not wanting to know — or not wanting to hear it — because you know it’s gonna hurt real bad.

You and me
We used to be together
Everyday together always
I really feel
That I’m losing my best friend
I can’t believe
This could be the end
It looks as though you’re letting go
And if it’s real
Well I don’t want to know

Don’t speak
I know just what you’re saying
So please stop explaining
Don’t tell me cause it hurts

I think this song encapsulates that problem very well. And it’s catchy, too.

Also listen to: Cool and Gwen Stefani’s 4 in the Morning

59. Jason Mraz – I’m Yours

A cute, fun song but not short of effectiveness. Jason Mraz was able to create a feel-good song that is both romantic and insightful.

Listen to the music of the moment people, dance and sing
We’re just one big family
And it’s our God-forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved

So I won’t hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I’m sure
There’s no need to complicate, our time is short
This is our fate, I’m yours

Also listen to: Clockwatching, You and I Both, I Melt With You

58. Alicia Keys – Fallin

When I first saw the music video for this song, the first thing I said was, “Man, this girl will make it big.” True enough, she did make it big in the business. Since then, I’m a big Alicia Keys fan. Set aside the controversies, she’s still a great singer and an awesome songwriter.

Sometimes I love ya
Sometimes you make me blue
Sometimes I feel good
At times I feel used
Lovin’ you darlin’
Makes me so confused

I keep on fallin’
In and out of love with you
I never loved someone
The way that I love you

After four albums and a ton of singles, I still think that Fallin’ is her best single to date. (With Unthinkable at a close second.) This song just paints a good picture of what it feels like to be totally confused about your emotions — falling in and then out of love. And I know the song speaks for many people.

Also listen to: If I Ain’t Got You, Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart, No One, Unthinkable

57. Sade – By Your Side

I’m not a Sade fan but I love this song. Not many of my friends know this song so whenever we talk about favorite songs and I say “I love Sade’s By Your Side,” they go “What’s that? Who’s that? What?” Haha.

Oh when you’re cold, I’ll be there
Hold you tight to me

When you’re on the outside baby and you can’t get in
I will show you, you’re so much better than you know
When you’re lost and you’re alone and you cant get back again
I will find you darling and I will bring you home

And I think it’s a great wedding song.

56. Dido – Thank You

When you listen to this song without the lyrics, you’ll easily assume it’s a sad, sad song for the broken-hearted. But it’s the exact opposite. This song never fails to make me smile when it gets randomly played by my iPod.

Push the door, I’m home at last and I’m soaking through and through
then you handed me a towel and all I see is you
and even if my house falls down now, I wouldn’t have a clue
because you’re near me and

I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you is having the best day of my life

And yeah, I can truly relate to it. It’s nice to know that no matter how bad the world can be, there’s still someone who can make all the bad things go away at the end of the day. And it’s nice to know that there’s a song about just that.

Also listen to: Here With Me, White Flag

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Album Review: Christina Aguilera – Bionic (2010)

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Yoshke in Music, Reviews |

“…The thing about Aguilera is that she’s used to zig when everyone else was zagging. And now, it seems like she decided to zag along with everyone else.” -EW.com

EW.com closed its review of Not Myself Tonight with these sentences. I wouldn’t blame them for thinking like this but I guess they were deceived by Not Myself Tonight. I love the single, don’t get me wrong, but this just didn’t represent the album in any way. Not Myself Tonight is like everything we have heard from today’s recording artists, except Christina can sing. I understand why they picked this track to be the first single — of all the tracks in Bionic, Not Myself Tonight is easily the most familiar and it is on this track that her voice is most recognizable.

But Bionic is more than that. Listen to Bionic and you’ll find Xtina going against the grain yet again, pushing the envelope harder, and yes, zigging while everyone else is zagging.

When Christina Aguilera said in an interview that she was experimenting more with her voice and exploring new ways to make music with it, she was not kidding. The album is unlike anything she has done before. It’s not even like anything other female performers and divas today have done before. Bionic is a big risk for an artist of her stature. It is not conventional. Yet, Aguilera was able to mesh her five-star voice with the different instruments that contributed to the genius that is Bionic.

To be honest, Bionic isn’t as futuristic as she sells it but it is indeed superhuman. And as you listen to it, subconsciously you are taken on a journey of a superhuman — opening with a big bang that is Bionic (track), taking you on a wild ride with Woohoo and Elastic Love, going deeper to the heart and soul of the album that is the four ballads at its core, and ending with a fun, wild, not-to-be-taken-seriously track that is Vanity.

I especially loved its row of ballads co-penned by Xtina’s long-time collaborator Linda Perry and new found ally Sia. It is the core of the record. It is as if Aguilera sheds of her metal armor, getting naked and revealing her heart and soul.It is Christina at her most vulnerable.

Most of all, Bionic successfully cements Christina’s status as probably this generation’s most versatile vocalist. She does urban, club-bangers, ballads and soul and does them well.

Here are what I think of each track:

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First Listen to Christina Aguilera’s ‘You Lost Me’ and ‘Bionic’ Tracks (VH1 Storytellers Leaks with Lyrics)

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Yoshke in Celebrities, Euphoria, Music |

It seems like Christina Aguilera is going the Stripped way again. Although Christina Aguilera herself had said that her next album Bionic was going to be Stripped 2.0 (with Not Myself Tonight as Dirrty 2.0), it’s only now that two of the tracks from her upcoming album Bionic (out June 8th) that it is confirmed.

You Lost Me, one of the tracks that leaked, reminds me so much of Beautiful, but this time the influence came from Sia and not Linda Perry. The title track Bionic, on the other hand, sounds definitely more funky and more pleasing than Not Myself Tonight in the same way that Dirrty was not the best dance track from Stripped.

Not Myself Tonight obviously went for shock value the way Dirrty did. It’s the single that’s most likely to spark controversy and I must say that it was successful in that department especially now that the provocative, daring music video is released.

Listen to Christina Aguilera’s live VH1 Storytellers performance of the album’s opening track here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

It has a hard beat but it’s really hard to comment on it since the piece has very low quality (because it was recorded secretly by a fan who was part of the live audience). One thing’s sure, though: it’s really catchy and infectious. I’m just not sure if this is a full song or just an intro. If you’re a Legendtina fan, you know how much Aguilera loves intro tracks in her albums.

Meanwhile, here’s the strings-driven ballad You Lost Me. Listen, listen:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

It’s beautifully epic! It’s about infidelity. The melody and lyrics are haunting. Vocally, as expected, it was powerful but different since Aguilera obviously explored the softer side of her voice here. I love how she sang the “And we-e-e-e-e had magic, and thi-i-i-i-is is tragic” part. Also, the way she sang “You couldn’t keep your hands to yourself” was just damn piercing and sad, yet funny at the same time.

The track was penned by Sia and Christina Aguilera herself. God, it reminds me of the first time I heard Beautiful. Goosebumps. Here are the lyrics although this is still a work in progress. The low quality of the recording makes it hard to understand the words:

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About Yoshke

On May 31, 1985, tragedy struck when 41 tornadoes hit Canada and the US, leaving 76 people dead. At the same time, a doomed couple in the Philippines were having the best orgasms of their lives. Nine months (280 days) later, a healthy baby boy was brought into this world by normal delivery. That was exactly a week before Microsoft had its initial public offering.

Today, Yoshke Dimen resides independently in Mandaluyong City. He got a degree in Film from a university in Diliman but is now pursuing a career in Social Media.

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