Joe The Plumber : The Imported Mang Pandoy

“Joe The Plumber” became an overnight success when his name was dragged into the US presidential campaign of lolo McCain while demonstrating how Joe will be most affected by Obama’s tax proposals. When I heard about Joe, I could not help but remember Philippines' very own Mang Pandoy. For those who don’t know him, Mang Pandoy was considered the “face of Philippine poverty” during Ramos’ administration and just like pareng Joe, Mang Pandoy became an overnight sensation as he was dragged into the selfish programs of our politicians. During Mang Pandoy’s “fame” he appeared on local TV shows posing as the inspiration for "the poor who dreams of having a better life".

Sad to say, I guess Mang Pandoy and Joe The Plumber’s commonality ends at being used by politicians for their pogi-points-propaganda. For one thing unlike Joe, during Mang Pandoy’s time, he never had to pay Philippine taxes with his meagre P50 daily earnings. Paying taxes would have been unheard of in Mang Pandoy’s world. Plumbers in the US, on the other hand, earn at least $23 a day, equivalent to a month’s earnings for Mang Pandoy. With earnings like this, no wonder Pinoys like Mang Pandoy go after the Great American Dream.

To show that the government was "really serious" in helping the poor, Mang Pandoy was given a job as a government worker. Unfortunately, after Ramos ended his term as president, we never heard of Mang Pandoy again. A few years and more corruptions later, Mang Pandoy, just like poverty alleviation, was forgotten . Last August Mang Pandoy's name appeared on the news again when it was reported how died at the age of 73 after battling tuberculosis. After being given a stable job, how can he still die a poor man ? Obviously there’s so much more to a better life than having a job.

So what happens to the dreams of the poor? In our country, if you were born a poor man, you will most likely die a poor man. Unless you work your a** off, win the lotto, become a movie star, a politician or --- the hottest craze today-- a police general. If you beome a police general may bonus pang Moscow trip at P6.9M ang bulsa mo. Come to think of it, if Mang Pandoy saved his P50 a day and not spend a single centavo off of it, he would have saved P6.9M after 378 years. Yeah there’s hope for the poor.

Happily Never After (Nicole Scherzinger) : My Favorite Song This Month

Can't fnd an official music video so this will have do. This is my favorite song this month. First heard on one Gossip Girl episode, this song (said to be co-written by Ne-Yo) is originally included in Nicole Scherzinger's solo album Her Name is Nicole whose released had been pushed several times and now they say that the album was put on hold again to give way to Pussycat Doll's Doll Domination album. Ironically, the song has been included in the PCD album. Not sure if the solo recording will ever see the light of day.

Incidentally, The Backstreet Boys also has a version but I think it pales in comparison to Nicole's version which is much more heartfelt and hearkbreaking.
I'll let you feast on her sexiness now.

“I don't think I want this anymore” as she drops the ring to the floor. She says to herself: 'You've left before'. This time you will stay gone, that's for sure. And he shouted something else she dragged her suitcase down the path to the driveway. She had never gone that far. Normally this would be the time that she would let him talk her out of leaving, but this time, without crying, as she got into her car, she said, “No, happily never after”. That just ain't for me, because finally I know I deserve better after all. I'll never let another teardrop fall. As she drove away she starts to smile. Realized she hadn't for a while. No destination, she drove for miles wondering why she stayed in such denial. Laughing about the way he shattered something else to drag her suitcase down the path, to the driveway. She had never gone that far.I'm done, I'm done, said I'm so done. I'm free, free to be me. She inhales an air she'd never breathed before cure of no drama no more. Another teardrop fall.


Gossip Girl clip on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jBrp1IPRrs

80s Stars : Then and Now

Ok. Let’s be fair to Zabka (from previous blog), lest he thinks he is being singled out. Let’s check the other 80s stars and study their evolution to the 21st century. Because let’s face it, not all stars are immortalized with youth and good looks like River Phoenix. So, I’m listing the hot stars of the 80’s with the list of the work they’re most remembered for from that era. These stars dominated our dreams and fantasies then. How do they look now? Some grew older gracefully while others…. well… I’ll let you be the judge.

Rise from the ashes?
River Phoenix (1970-1993)
Stand by Me (1986), Running on Empty (1988), Little Nikita (1988)

80s HEARTTHROBS

Not so pretty now. Andrew McCarthy: Pretty in Pink (1986), Mannequin (1987), Less Than Zero (1987) St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

Legally handsome.
James Spader : Pretty In Pink (1986), Mannequin (1987), Less Than Zero (1987)

From McCutie to McDreamy

Patrick Dempsey : Loverboy (1989) Two and a half thumbs up!

Jon Cryer : Pretty In Pink (1986) Yummy as a chocolate factory.

Johnny Depp : 21 Jumpstreet (TV series 1987-1990)

We're not jumping up and down now, are we?

Richard Grieco : 21 Jumpstreet (TV series 1988-1989)Crispy but overcooked.

Kevin Bacon : Footloose (1984)

It's scientology, baby.

Tom Cruise : The Outsiders (1983), Top Gun (1986)

Fire extinguished.

Emilio Estevez : St. Elmo's Fire (1985), The Breakfast Club (1985), The Outsiders (1983)

Hot Sodapop.

Rob Lowe : About Last Night (1986), St.Elmo's Fire (1985), The Outsiders (1983)

No kidding. Ralph Macchio : The Karate Kid (1984), The Outsiders (1985)

80s PRETTY LADIES

The golden shue.

Elizabeth Shue : The Karate Kid (1984) Holy Molly!
Molly Ringwald : Pretty in Pink (1986), The Breakfast Club (1985)

Sexy mannequin in the city.

Kim Cattrall : Mannequin (1987)

Never the ugly duckling.

Kristy Swanson : Pretty in Pink (1986), and later Mannequin 2

Amazing maze.

Jennifer Connelly : Labyrinth (1986)

Some kind of forgotten.

Mary Stuart Masterson : Some kind of wonderful (1987)

Out of lace.

Phoebe Cates : Lace (1984, 1985), Date With an Angel (1987)

Jungle princess.

Brooke Shields : The Blue Lagoon (1980)

We want moore.

Demi Moore: About Last Night (1986),St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

What a feeling. What a babe.

Jennifer Beals : Flashdance (1983)

Stealing from the fountain of youth.

Winona Ryder : Beetle Juice (1988)

Time travel.

Lea Thompson : Back to the Future (1985)

And The 80s POP STARS

Wild boy.

John Taylor : bass guitarist Duran Duran (1987-1997)

I think he has surrendered.

Corey Hart : Sunglasses at Night (1983), Never Surrender (1985) Wanna be Rick's girl?

Rick Spring field : Jessie's Girl (1981) It's a mad world alright.

Curt Smith : Everybody Wants to Rule The World (1985)

The bald and the (then) beautiful. Sinead OConnor : Nothing Compares 2 U (1987)

Stunning as Always.

Kylie Minogue : The Loco-motion (1987)

"Sweep The Leg" : A Tribute To The Karate Kid

The movie The Karate Kid was showing on HBO the other night and I decided to watch it. It’s funny that today when I watch the movie, it’s like I’m watching Ripley's Believe it Or Not as I try to understand how Daniel Larusso played by the skinny, lanky, gawky Ralph Macchio won the karate competition over the taller and more burly Johnny Lawrence played by William Zabka . But it seemed oh so believable when I was 13 that Macchio became every girl’s dream boy and every boy’s hero. My sister even hung a big poster on our bedroom of Macchio wearing that gray worn out sweat shirt he made famous in the movie. How did this movie impact pop culture then? --- well, every teenage girl wished her name was “Ali, with an ‘i’…” every teenage boy wanted to master Mr. Miyagi's “crane kick” (just in case it comes handy) and everyone used coach Kreese’s line “An enemy deserves no mercy!” at one time or another.

The story of an underdog karate trainee who bags the match and wins the girl in the end is just too mushy to resist. The man who will fight for your honor … the hero you’ve been dreaming of… all for the glory of love…(syet...! goosebumps....you have no idea how many couples have this for their theme song).

As a teenager though, I found the character of Johnny Lawrence more interesting than Daniel Larusso’s. Johnny was of course the leader of the pack of a**hole school bullies and Daniel’s rival for Ali’s love. In my opinion, Zabka was far more good looking and sexier than Macchio in a Robert-Redford-kind-of-way. And even with blonde hair, he looked like somebody who can actually kick anybody’s tush--- probably even coach Kreese’s and definitely Daniel-san’s.

Spot the Difference

He has a strong resemblance to Rob Thomas, don’t you think??

William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence. Elizabeth Shue as Ali Mills. Ralph Macchio as Daniel Larusso.

I got curious about William Zabka and thought --- whatever happened to that guy? As big as the movie was in the 80s, I haven’t heard of him nor Macchio in the last ten or fifteen years. Of course we all know that Elizabeth Shue who played the rich blonde cheerleader Ali Mills in the movie has had a relatively successful career and has remained beautiful after all these years.

Out of curiosity, I decided to google both Zabra and Macchio. I was a bit sad that Zabra did not grow older as the dashing debonair (oh well). I learned though that he has become film maker of mostly independent films following his Karate Kid success.

Zabka - from Redford to Ritter? Shue - even more beautiful now. Macchio - didn't change much!

Further search led me to a music video on You Tube of a song called “Sweep the Leg” by a band named No More Kings. Written and directed by Zabka himself, the music video is sort of a comic tribute/parody of the movie Karate Kid. Zabra stars in the video and plays a distorted image of his own self, portraying himself as the “has-been” actor obsessed with his role in the Karate Kid movie.

“Sweep The Leg” is of course taken from a line in the movie delivered by Lawrence’s bigger a**hole coach John Kreese (aka Martin Kove). In the last few scenes, just as Lawrence with a bleeding nose and a wounded ego is about to throw in the towel, Kreese decides to cheat and tells Lawrence to: “Sweep the leg….! You have a problem with that?!!”, referring to the injured leg of Larusso. But then, we all know that Daniel wins and ends the match with THE “crane kick” (Really!) Cool, huh?! Hahaha! They should have applied for a patent for that kick.

I found the video hilarious and weird in a satiric way. What’s even funnier is that in this parody Johnny Lawrence wins the karate match! Yes...sweet revenge….! Watch out for the cameo appearance of Ralph Macchio at the end of the video.

Two more Karate Kid movie sequels followed the first but I vaguely remember them. Pat Morita's “wax on…wax off…” however still rings in my ear to this day. Even hearing Survivor’s Moment Of Truth still makes me want to stand up in a wooden pole and attempt a crane kick….

When you’re alone you ask yourself.. what are you searching for..? Deep in the night a dream is born …..one that you can’t ignore….

(somebody give me a wooden pole…! NOW!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFlQNtL8F9s