Take A Bow

.:How 'Bout A Round Of Applause?:.

A standing ovation?

For the past thirteen weeks, I don't exaggerate when I say that secular me felt downright blessed to have been a part of "Bara-Bara" as one of its hosts. I've worked with old contemporaries like James Caraan and Red Ollero of Comedy Manila, as well as comedy legends like Leo Martinez and Kuhol, and made new friends in Phoebe Walker, Miggy Marty, Nikki Viola, and Kat Medina. This was, without a doubt, a show I loved doing every single time.

In about an hour, our last episode will air. Well, our last episode for our first season. What I don't know for sure is if we will have another one after that. Either way, I can't help but be grateful for the season that was.

I could regale you with stories about the things going on behind the scenes, of how the cast grew closer with each other with each passing episode, about our foibles and misadventures involving CSG and other hilarious stories that could let you in on the inside workings of a fledgling show that's been trying to find its spot in this world of entertainment that has mostly been unwilling to shine a mirror upon itself if the reflection wouldn't be completely flattering. In doing this, we ended up opening not just the minds of those who watched us, but even our very own minds, as we saw things we never saw before, when we merely consumed media and didn't think of the things that go on behind it. There were issues. Boy, were there issues.

We willingly called out these issues head-on, even if it also meant exposing ourselves to the very same pitfalls, simply because we wanted to open up the minds of those we could touch to the opportunity for critical thinking.

We aren't looking to make cynics out of our countrymen. We aren't looking to make them believe that the media lies while the government is a beacon of truth. We simply wanted them to question everything: yes, even what I say this very moment. Because in that questioning, the seeds of wisdom are planted, and we could all use that kind of healthy skepticism for ourselves: not just so we could be contrarian, but so we could be capable of defending the very positions we hold dear, instead of just saying it is because it is.

I will always be grateful for the opportunities I've gotten because of this TV show, but more importantly, the friendships I've built thanks to it. I would be remiss if I didn't specifically thank GB for having put me in the right place and the right time to be a part of this, thanks to the Open Mic in Uno Morato, and of course, the people behind the scenes in PTV-4 as well. It was an experience I will always cherish and be proud of, and while I fervently hope we would find the sponsors we need for a second season, I will have no regrets if tonight's season ender is our swan song for this show.

For years, I've always wanted to open minds as a mentalist: to unlock the potential of people via entertaining them through feats of mind-reading and psychokinesis and the like. In 2015, I managed to open minds through commentary, and that is something I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to do.

We hope to see you for our last episode tonight. And we hope even more to see you for our first episode for our second season in 2016, if the stars align for us just right. It truly has been a pleasure and an honor to be the host of Bara-Bara: Anything Goes for the past three months. 

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.

Nothing But The Best Wishes For Nonong And Ryan Rems!

.:Shameless Not-Self-Promotion:.

Today is the Finals day for Showtime's "Funny One," and two of my friends and brothers in standup, Nonong and Ryan Rems, are in the finals!

Skelan is probably a sponsor or something.

All I can say is "thank you" to these two guys. Because you couldn't ask for nicer, more down-to-earth, and hardworking representatives for POV standup comedy than these two guys. Here's hoping that the laughs they have earned from the millions (and millions) of people watching them on television will not go unappreciated today.

We can talk about revolutions for standup comedy tomorrow. We can talk about the ramifications and the possibility of this kind of comedy invading the mainstream after over a decade of being branded as little more than "niche" some other time. Today, I would rather simply express my gratitude and support to two of my friends. It's *their* time to shine. Everything else merely follows.

When The Demolition Job Happens To You

.:When The Demolition Job Happens To You:.

It's no secret that I've been a professional magician and mentalist since 2006. It's been a very amazing experience, and yes, I'm still in the thick of all that and can be booked easily enough, if you wanted to see top-notch quality entertainment. Lately, though, I've been asked several times about a certain TV show called "Demolition Job," as it went out there and exposed the secrets of mentalism on television just last Monday night.

Like religion, you mean? Oh, right.

I find it amusing and sad at the same time that they had to target mentalism on this show. Amusing, because it's not like this is the first time mentalism has been exposed: Studio 23 has had a series of magic exposure shows in the past, and a particular episode dealt with mentalism already. I took a bunch of psychology classes to get the hang of using mentalism in a performance setting once I managed to repackage what were originally academic pursuits, so even in a purely academic setting, mentalism is right there for the taking for anyone who wants to get into it.

But I find it sad, because you know what? People make a living doing this stuff, and killing the fairy doesn't really do them any favors. While defenders of this kind of programming would say that exposure is a challenge for these performers to step up, has anyone bothered asking why only magicians or mentalists are forced to step up like that? Do you tell Coke to step it up by revealing their secret formula? Do you challenge KFC to pick up the pace after divulging their 11 secret herbs and spices? Of course not. So why kill the magician's livelihood? I may not be as adversely affected as other performers will be, but I can almost hear random people talking to me about seeing this episode for at least the next six months.

Pictured: real magic.

Ultimately, what is the point of a show like "Demolition Job?" I gather that it's supposed to be like Penn and Teller's "Bullsh!t," which is mostly about debunking false beliefs and the like. Since it's a demolition job, then you might even say it's a deconstruction of myths and lies we hold true. Let's face it, though: if that was your objective in mentalism, the first thing you should have been debunking would be the seance, not psychokinesis. Out of every single part of the mentalist's arsenal, it will always be the paranormalist quackery that always, always annoys me to no end, and I'll get to why in a bit. Psychokinesis? That's entertainment fluff and a crowd-pleaser, but by no means problematic. How many people even know about psychokinesis as a phenomenon, let alone actually believe in it?

You see, when a magician or a mentalist (And I will use them almost interchangeably here.) performs, there is an implicit expectation that some deception is involved. This is a contract of sorts: everyone is in on the fact that not everything happening is as it seems, and that's a contract that should be upheld, since hey, you're entertaining people; not starting a religion.

However, things are very different when you pretend you can talk to the dead, and the person you are speaking to is hanging onto your every word. These are people who want to believe you and want to communicate to someone they love. You prey on their vulnerability for some measure of gain, and the contract of deception is completely ignored.

So why does it seem the seance went untouched? I could only hope they will end up doing an episode on the Tony Perezes and Jaime Licaucos, right? Or at least call out Nomer the Mindmaster when he pretends he can talk to Miko Sotto for Ali Sotto's benefit?

To me, I'm merely after fair play: yes, magicians and mentalists are valid targets for your so-called demolition jobs. It's just like how people go out of their way to remind people that pro wrestling is fake every chance they get. Annoying? Yes. But they're entitled to do that. Would I be happier if nobody bothered exposing magic and mentalism in this way? I'm not particularly swayed in either direction since I actually like how Penn and Teller do their exposure, but I can see more people benefit from and less people are harmed by keeping these secrets, well, secrets.

So in the interest of fair play, where are the episodes exposing Mother Teresa? The Catholic Church? How about other religions, and some of their decidedly baseless, even harmful practices? How about the preferential treatment enshrined in law (Under a constitution that supposedly separates church from state, no less!) for Muslims that allowed Freddie Aguilar to marry a minor? Failing even that, let's start with something simple: how about the mania surrounding the Black Nazarene, and the countless injuries it causes year in and year out? Any takers on that?

Okay. Religion's a bit too touchy? Let's talk governance then. How about political dynasties? Corruption and scams? Got anything to say about that? What? You're afraid of death threats, and won't do that, either?

How about dietary supplements that promise you the moon and the stars, yet always end with "No Approved Therapeutic Claims?" Remember April Boy Regino claiming he was cancer-free thanks to Sante Pure Barley, and suddenly retiring late last year from performing, due to still having cancer? You mean to tell me he willingly staked his life on that supplement, only to find out he's still actually sick? That's horrible! Expose that sh!t!

Seems legit.

Oh, what? They're your sponsors, and you can't do that to them? Fine, then.

So remind me: of all the other logical targets to go after, why were mentalists one of the first? Why did you go after them, when they have yet to cause any harm to the country, to begin with? Could it be because you can pick on them and they won't fight back? That's really it, isn't it? Why tackle the lies of a religious institution, or the government, or a paying sponsor, when you can pick apart an easy target instead? 

And this is why I just rolled my eyes when I heard that the fine art of magic was targeted. Again. Of course they'd do that. They're not going to pick on a target that could actually hurt them if it fought back. The most magicians and mentalists could do would be to say some mean things to Paolo Bediones, maybe toss a homophobic slur or two his way at worst, then after a while, they're gonna move on because they have better things to do, like try to earn a livelihood, even if "Demolition Job" made sure that was going to be just a little harder to do.

We magicians and mentalists get targeted because, believe it or not, we're too nice. And the sad part is, at no point does it occur to anyone doing "Demolition Job" that maybe, just maybe, they are killing other people's livelihood just because they can, and not because they are serving any public good. I'm not mad, but can you blame any other magicians if they do get angry because it suddenly got harder to feed their families because of this episode?

Again, we are entertainers. We are artists. We aren't trying to start a religion here. We're not out to make anyone believe we have these super-special powers only we are in possession of. We're just trying to entertain you, because that's our job. Walang basagan ng trip, pwede?

But I guess that's too much to ask for, right?

The 10th Anniversary Retrospective: 2006

.:The 10th Anniversary Retrospective: 2006:.

Probably only the second or third best thing of 2006.

Wow. 2006. Talk about a pivotal year, because this was the year I blogged the least. Offline life was getting in the way so much that I couldn't help but have to really let my blogging take a hit, inevitably. Heartbreak near the start of the year, then followed by months upon months of career woes since I had to give up QTV11 after doing segment production for one season.

It was also the year when I got into professional magic and mentalism, which was definitely one of the biggest, most pronounced changes in my life. To think that it all started because I simply wanted to do a performance for Elbert Or, who was my best friend at the time. 

It was the year I got to meet Estelle, bonded with April, met Mick Foley, and yes, found out that National University actually existed.

Not photoshopped, rest assured.

So overall? I met new people and got to doing new things. I was really having a hard time dealing with heartbreak, so despite the misery I felt at the time, I found amazing friends who helped me weather the storm.

I was starting to be less transcript-based with my blog entries, and as I started to using more pictures, it really felt like my blog was becoming a lot more fun to write. Of course, I wrote so few entries during this year, and some of them were downright dark and disturbing, reflecting the state of mind and heart I found myself in at that point. I was down, and almost out. I couldn't thank my friends enough, but there was someone who made all the difference in the world that year, and she was simply unforgettable.

Towards the end of the year, My Beloved came into the picture. We saw The Departed,  and then things slowly started falling into place. That's why this was my favorite entry of 2006, because that very brief bit I had to say about her said everything I needed to say then... and now.

"I love you very much, and I hope that I would prove to be worthy of your time and attention. Sometimes, I worry when I catch myself not treating you in the best way I could, but at the end of the day, I know I will do whatever it takes to do right by you.

No matter what, we will find a way.

Thank you for making my life just a little brighter."

Truer words have never been said.

The Quick Pre-Weekend Wrapup...

.:Wrapping Up...:.

It hasn't been an easy week. I'm proud of how productive I've been, though.

First of all, my second article about the Cybercrime Bill is officially the most-read article on the entire 8 List website. I know I expected people to take interest in the topic, but I sure didn't expect that it would get this much coverage. As of today, we've hit about 2,700 likes or so already for the post, and counting. I'm just stunned.

So with all of that, and despite being so occupied here at work that I couldn't help in filing the motion that other bloggers such as Tonyo Cruz, Marocharim, Ade, Tin, and others have, I still found myself in the thick of things, and my tweet on the issue actually ended up on TV.

My odds of getting sued just went way up.

And I'd like to keep running my mouth and cracking jokes about PNoy, Sotto, and all the other "luminaries" who made this abomination of a bill a reality now, but what's the point? They're so petulant and myopic that they probably gained a radar sense to make up for it already.

So I'll leave it at that, really: I've written several articles already, so if anyone wanted to hear more, they can always just follow me on Twitter and ask me there. I'm just too tired to have to add to that.

Speaking of tired, you have no idea what I've been up to this week, and the conversations I've ended up having. Had a double dose of SPIT this week, and even got to drop by Chihuahua's open mic night, where Mike Unson decided to visit. Pretty cool on that count, really, since it was a pleasant surprise to everyone that he showed up there.

Typhoon Marce has come and gone, and I feel like I'm the typhoon, just a whirling dervish the entire week, trying to keep my cool as I went through so many things, even making the decision to turn down a job offer after a lot of careful consideration. Didn't think that would happen.

There's been so many changes as well, and all I could think is how much I miss the warmth. I'm getting there, but I really do feel dazed and confused at the moment. One of them even involves a certain radio station, but I refuse to bring it up until they announce it first...

For now, let me just relish that I've done a good job for this week, and if someone sues me for Cyber-Libel next week, it would be the perfect way to celebrate my 10th year of blogging this coming October 14.

Which reminds me... if my blog has been important enough for you to keep track of, I'm going to try to get people to participate in an experiment come Monday. I just hope I don't get crickets in response.

Have a smashing weekend, everyone!

A Patriotic Filipino's Response To The Blood Traitor, National Artist F. Sionil Jose... Or Is It?

.:A Patriotic Filipino's Response To The Blood Traitor, National Artist F. Sionil Jose... Or Is It?:.

Nation, as a Patriotic Filipino®, fewer things would make yours truly's blood boil than a racist who mindlessly bashes our nation's dignity, and it amuses yours truly to no end when the Schadenfreude erupts and they are treated to as much racism as they have just dished out, because that's how we Patriotic Filipinos roll.

If there are two things we Patriotic Filipinos hate, it would be racism, and the Chinese. Our hopes to finally rightfully lay claim to the Spratly Islands were rekindled anew just this week when Ms. Philippines beat Ms. China in the Ms. Universe pageant. If more territorial disputes were settled this way, we'd be a much powerful nation, albeit Venezuela would become the biggest superpower in the world.

Still, as terrible as racism is, blood traitors are just the worst. As in the absolute worst. Is it not bad enough, dear nation, that other races malign the Filipino spirit? Why must we chip in ourselves to this cesspool of uselessness?

That is why there is such an uproar over F. Sionil Jose recently, in light of the statements he has made, calling us, and by extension, himself, shallow. "The nerve of this person to criticize us," you say. Who does this guy think he is? Some National Artist? Oh, wait.

What you need to realize is that F. Sionil Jose is himself a Patriotic Filipino. That makes all the difference in the world and renders him immune from disagreement. Why? Why ask why? After all, when one sees the ills of the Filipino nation yet is himself acting all above it, then he must be one of us, all the same.

It also helps that he made sure to criticize Mideo Cruz's pathetic excuse for art, because the CBCP certainly appreciated the unlikely assist. Truly, he is an indisputable authority on what is and isn't art, and what is deep or what is shallow. If you wish to challenge his unquestionable authority, feel free to place your National Artist citation on the table before engaging the man.

Somewhere, Carlo J. Caparas is grumbling out loud.

When faced with the almighty depth of a National Artist, all of us fall short and are mired in shallowness. What we think is deep is nothing compared to the depth of a National Artist's thinking: an honor that distinguishes him from the hoi poloi of shallowness that is the other Filipinos, bestowed upon him by, well, the other Filipinos. When he compared the tepid reaction of Filipinos to a Japanese cultural dance to the wild reception the Filipino tinikling dance got, surely, fans of the WWE were reminded of the huge difference between those shallow spot monkeys who do nothing but flips...

Shallow. Bet this guy won't ever win any championships.

... and the refined performers who are known for their deep, involving, technical maneuvers.

Deep! Bet this guy is main eventing everywhere by now.

Indeed, the tepid reaction this Japanese folk dance got is the kind of reaction that no real fan of culture would ever give, even if it's probably the first time they ever saw something. Surely, the first time Elvis Presley hit the stage on his first ever gig in some run-down bar, every Tom, Dick, and Harry fell to their feet to worship his greatness because everyone recognizes talent in an instant. Indeed, having a folk dance that we have owned and cultivated since pre-colonial times pales in comparison to appreciating a folk dance of another nation that we have obviously only ever seen for the first time.

This is the shallowness of popular culture, as it were, nation, and it afflicts us Filipinos and only us (Non-Patriotic) Filipinos. Clearly, we have a monopoly on this shallowness, because as the previous example has shown us, Japan is obviously immune to these criticisms. The sublime genius of the Japanese has led to such cultural watersheds like Evangelion, Hachiko, Grave Of The Fireflies, and La Blue Girl, after all.

Deep.

Meanwhile, our concept of entertainment is utterly shallow, because how dare we compare the shallowness that is Kris Aquino to the depth that is Ryan Seacrest? Indeed, being deep or being shallow is an ever-fixed state of mind and affairs, and not at all a particular moment in one's complex humanity. The shallow moments you indulge in define you as shallow altogether, even if you work nine hours a day to put food on the plate for a family of four. That's just how it is.

Surely, the Japanese who read manga in the trains while groping schoolgirls at the same time (Multi-tasking is a sign of depth.) are far deeper than the Filipinos who don't even have elbow room to do any reading whatsoever. Surely, the Koreans glued to their iPhones, finding out the latest news about Jun Ji-Hyun and whoever she's dating, are getting deeper and deeper by the minute.

Deep.

Turn to America, and we find nothing but top-notch TV programming. While Filipino television is nothing but a morass of love triangles involving the Amboy cutie, the rich mestiza girlfriend, and the maid, America is churning out instant classics.

Deep.

Surely, this isn't just a case of rose-tinted glasses, or a sorrily mistaken assumption that the grass is greener on the other side, and that everyone else is deeper than the average, non-Patriotic Filipino. Certainly, we aren't taking the best-case examples of other nations, then comparing it to the worst-case examples from our own nation, are we?

Are we?

Nation, there is no denying the shallowness that permeates every fiber of this country. It's the very kind of shallowness that stems from our very language, and the only reason anybody disagreed with James Soriano was because he has yet to win a Palanca.

Indeed, we are a shallow people because of consumerism and crass commercialism, every inch of it engulfing the Filipino psyche. Surely, Hollywood, Bollywood, Shinjuku, Milan, and any of these other far-off places in no way whatsoever perpetuate this kind of mindset for their own respective nations. To disagree with the unfortunate implications of F. Sionil Jose's article is taboo, simply because he's F. Sionil Jose, dammit. He gets a pass.

Just like this guy. Also, deep.

Nation, there is no question about our shallowness and the depths we go through just to revel in that shallowness. There is absolutely no disagreement that there is a need for depth. While some people believe that depth is not only relative but aspirational and universal, we shake our heads and say that depth, or rather, a lack of it, is endemic to Filipinos alone, as has been handily singled out in F. Sionil's article. Naysayers may disagree, but clearly, this dissent comes from a lack of perspective and depth. Also, a lack of Palanca Awards to their names.

For you to be an authority on what is deep, you yourself need to be unquestionably deep. Just like F. Sionil Jose. Obviously, a handful of Palanca's and a National Artist distinction has earned him the gravitas to be unquestionably deep.

Heaven forbid we consider  F. Sionil's contribution of his "literature" to a commercial clothing brand, the very same kind of commercialism he rails against in his essay, to be anything other than lending depth to this brand. Just the touch of class that Freeway needed, of course! It's not selling out at all, no no no. It's not at all a quiet albeit begrudging acceptance that commercialism, like proneness to criticism, encompasses everyone, no exceptions whatsoever. Not in a million, billion years.

But really: is there a way out of this bubbling muck of shallowness the Filipino finds himself in? Do you wish to hear from the Master how to do it? Do you wish to know the truth? Well, you can't handle the truth!

Nation, we live in a world with depth, and these depths need to be guarded by men with pens. Who's gonna do it? You? You, without a single Palanca to your name? F. Sionil Jose has a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom.

You weep for the shallowness of this nation and curse the Patriotic Filipinos who incessantly point this out. You have that luxury. You have that luxury of not knowing what we know: that this condescension, while annoying, saves lives. and F. Sionil Jose's existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.

You can't handle the truth, because deep down in places you don't talk about in parties, you want that depth. You need that depth. We use words like Palanca, National Artist, and hindsight. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent in comfort that affords us that privilege to have depth and know it for what it is. You use these words as a punchline.

F. Sionil Jose has neither the time nor the inclination to explain himself to an ungrateful nation that rises and sleeps under the blanket of depth that he provides, and then questions the manner in which he provides it. He would rather that you just said "thank you," and went on your way. Otherwise, we suggest you pick up a pen and earn yourself some Palanca's. Either way, we don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to.

His depth is the depth of a Yao Ming. Our shallowness is the shallowness of a Verne Troyer.

It's great to know that the very vanguards of this nation, we, the Patriotic Filipinos®, are also the very first to throw this nation under the bus at the drop of a bamboo pole. Because that's how we roll.

Marcelle Fabie (Pronounced "Fa-bee-yay".), who blogs on www.mistervader.com, is a man who embodies the two greatest characteristics of a Patriotic Filipino®: he is patriotic, and he is Filipino. As an upstanding individual of strong moral fibre, he puts the "grit" in "journalistic inteGRITy." Hard-hitting, fearless (except when it comes to Rick Astley), and unbelievably opinionated, he stands for truthiness, justice, and the Filipino way. He has a Pulitzer, a Nobel, an Oscar, a Grammy, and five other weirdly-named pet dogs.

The MMDA And TV 5 Demonstrate Real Public-Private Partnership

.:Sometimes, You See Hope For This Nation...:.

While a lot of things certainly annoy the Hades out of me when it comes to this government, it's good to know that for every stupid Florence Treaty violation, we have some genuinely good efforts coming up from other sectors of the government.

Much has been said about the deficiencies of P Noy's recent SONA, but a glaring albeit non-controversial omission from his speech seems to be the fact that he never made mention of a key idea he brought up in last year's SONA: the public-private partnership. It sounded like a good, albeit expensive idea. Definitely struck me as an infrastructure-centric notion, in all honesty.

Thankfully, my rather myopic point of view was not shared by TV 5 or MMDA, and with their simple but important idea, they have helped at least 6,000 people in one fell swoop even before their project was officially launched: The Metro Manila Traffic Navigator.

Via Philippine Beat

I wish I had a funny caption here, but I guess not every blogpost here has to be a Cracked.com ripoff...

The launch was as simple and as straightforward as can be, to be honest: hey, guys! Meet the people from TV 5, meet the people from the MMDA, ask them about this awesome idea, and give them ideas how they could improve it even more! I mean, really. There's no way anyone can mess that up, and the event certainly didn't.

So how does this newfangled internets thing work, you ask? Quite simple, actually. Observe:

via Philippine Beat

Pictured: Utter simplicity. No, really.

What you are looking at is the default view for the system: it allows you to see the main thoroughfares in Metro Manila as though they were MRT/LRT lines, and each particular landmark of note is divided into northbound and southbound, and each subdivision is color-coded as green (light), yellow-orange (moderate), and red (heavy). Thus, if, for example, Lady Gaga were performing in Araneta Coliseum, you can expect that the Cubao node of the line and its nearby areas, both northbound and southbound, will be predominantly red.

If, on the other hand, 1:43 were performing in Trinoma, then you can expect that the Trinoma node and those nearby would be green all the way. Like anyone would bother going to Trinoma to catch those guys (Unless if your name is Jepoy from GameOps...).

What this does is it puts everything you need to know in one sweet package, and is fully accessible from the internet whether on your computer or on your smartphone. You would know, due to regular updates made during peak hours every two to five minutes, which routes would be best to take, and which ones to avoid altogether, especially if you have the option of choosing between EDSA or C-5. Keeping this in mind, it should be no surprise at all that this handy navigator is worth its weight in gold, no questions asked. It's updated almost real-time, and at worst, at 15-minute intervals, which is still very invaluable information, any which way you look at it.

Of course, this is no excuse for people to use their phones while driving, but this is nifty and would help ease traffic somewhat. Hey, 6,000 smarter navigators in the metro can't be a bad thing. That's for sure.

It can only be hoped that as this navigator catches on and improves further, there'll be less of this:

Maybe I'm wrong, but he doesn't seem to be in a good mood.

In the meantime, thank you, MMDA and TV 5! This navigator really helps, and knowing that this lines up just right with your free iPad App, it's good to know you're really reaching out to people in ways people have overlooked for so long! I'm sure you guys get a lot of criticism time and again, but props where props are due: I'm pretty sure unlike certain unscrupulous MMDA officials, this Navigator is not going to be asking us for bribes anytime soon...

A Contribution To Filipino Freethinkers

.:A Contribution To Filipino Freethinkers:.

Now, whilst there’s a lot of hoopla going on about the RH Bill that the fine folk at Filipino Freethinkers are covering like mad, and whilst I’m certainly not an atheist by any means, I do feel for them.

On the other hand, with all the brilliant commentary from their end about the issue already, I figured that it was better for me to contribute to their fine website by writing about a topic dear to my heart : mentalism.

I’ve been a professional mentalist for going on five years already. Through it all, I’ve maintained kayfabe, but never hesitated to drop character if it was going to cause me any crisis of conscience. As a performer, there is, by definition of being a magician (Sorry, fellow mentalists. You still count.), an implicit contract between audience and performer that you’re going to deceive them, but you’re going to entertain them through it. This is the tie that binds: the contract that allows people to enjoy the performance of magic without them thinking too hard how it was done afterwards.

When you drop that conceit and pick up that of passing yourself off as the real thing, it begins to tread on questionable ethical grounds. This is particularly highlighted when you use your magic tricks to fool people into thinking you could tell them how to live their lives, sleep with them, or talk to dead spirits. Given my background, and given the fact that I’m all after elevating the respect for the art form, it becomes very objectionable for me when a show like Mind Master gets away with manipulating people who are grieving for a lost loved one.

I think my post on FF covers all my objections to the whole thing, albeit in a sarcastic manner. I can totally understand when people think that perhaps question the motive of the takedown, but anyone who has known me long enough knows that it isn’t just about the person, but about the ethical issues he now pushes mentalism into. As a performer sharing the same designation as he, I do not want to be misrepresented as that, and would like to set the record straight.

Now, without exposing any secrets, I will explicitly tell you: we are not mediums. We can’t talk to the dead. That isn’t part of our job description at all. On top of that, not all of us are slimy, manipulative douchebags. We are generally very honest about our dishonesty. Despite what you may see or hear from my contemporary, he is a woeful minority in what he does.

Is it more exciting to pretend we can talk to dead people and predict the future accurately? Of course. I’d do the same if it didn’t hurt anybody. But see, the minute Ali Sotto started crying on TV, this whole performance art crossed over from mere entertainment to outright exploitation, and I cannot abide by that. Magicians are pre-occupied with the ills of exposure, and to this day, they are railing against Bearwin Meily. That’s fine, but I also hope they aren’t so blind as to just acceptor even encourage the unethical use of the skills a fellow magician has learned from this industry. Otherwise, we just become selective enforcers of ethical practices, all without looking at the bigger picture if we tolerated this practice.

This is why it is my fervent request to GMA-7 and the producers of this show to simply put a disclaimer at the start of each episode. Just make it clear you are not declaring these feats to be legitimate solely by virtue of airing it. Is it vestigial? Yes. But it makes all the difference in the world for the network to acknowledge publicly that it will not encourage this abhorrent practice.

I don’t think it’s such a big thing to ask, is it?

Turning Tricks : Philippine Magic Turmoil

.:Turning Tricks:.

Nation, yours truly realizes that he is far from a commentarist on the showbiz industry, and that’s well and good. After all, for the most part, the world of show business is full of backstabbing, ungrateful, rumor-mongering hypocrites, so much unlike the world of politics.

Nonetheless, a few people know that I have some expertise when it comes to the worlds of magic and mentalism, which, thanks to a couple of recent developments on television, are now a hot-button topic in the world of show business, if not for a minority of people who actually keep an eye on developments among mentalists and magicians in mainstream media.

Now, some people might ask why we lump magicians, who are known for doing tricks, with mentalists, who are known for demonstrating skills. Aren’t they supposed to be different? Well, yes, and no. While the methodologies may (or may not) be different, the outcome is the same: something seemingly impossible is made possible. Either way, both magicians and mentalists are entertainers. It becomes pretty embarrassing when they try to be anything else. These performers are here to entertain, not to start a new religion. Yet a few people seem to lose sight of that.

If one may make such an analogy, magic and mentalism work just like pro wrestling. Yes, there will be deception involved on both ends. No, we, as performers, will not go out of our way in the middle of performances to expose the business for your own pleasure. It’s all about entertainment, so why be apologetic for a deception that is inherently understood as part of the equation in the first place? What point will it serve to break the vissimilitude of an excellent performance? Surely, it would take an exceptional kind of person to willingly break this golden rule, right?

In a recent episode on TV 5’s Magic Gimik,Bearwin Meily earned the ire of virtually the entire magic community because he went out and actually exposed some secrets behind the art form. It didn’t take long for the community that used to glorify him to now declare him “persona non grata.” Now, if you ever had to earn a living and the preservation of a harmless secret is what spelled the difference between your ability or lack thereof to feed your family, how do you think it would make you feel to have your meal ticket disappear while Mr.Meily mugs it up for the camera? Surely, you can’t help but feel grateful to him, right? “Thanks! You just killed my livelihood, but you’re my idol! Yeah!”

Being a still cap of the episode, I wasn’t so sure if he was blowing or sucking. The smoke, I mean.

How about the new TV show called “Mind Master” featuring the mentalist known as Nomer Lasala? When he tells you a totally believable story about being banned from a casino at a younger age because he can “read the dealer’s mind and predict what the numbers could be,” don’t you just feel the truthiness of his world? After all, when you were younger, weren’t you banned from casinos too, albeit for a slightly different reason, like you know, being underaged? Surely Mr. Lasala must be telling the truth! Mentalists out there must be nodding their heads in approval because this story is in no way unbelievable whatsoever.

This is the face of a man you could totally trust.

In the magic and mentalism world, they may be misunderstood, but truly, people like Mr.Meily and Mr.Lasala are true heroes of the art form, and they must be respected as such. On the one hand, we have Bearwin, who gives away secrets to magic he doesn’t own because he wants other magicians to step up, since clearly, he believes that magicians need to step up and get more talented because he is already himself absolutely oozing with skill and talent in the art of prestidigitation. Surely, Jeffrey Tam, with his cabinet full of trophies from winning international magic competitions can’t hold a candle to the accolades of Bearwin Meily who has won... absolutely nothing. What a man, indeed, to incite everyone to step up. What a tough act to follow!

On the other hand, we have Nomer, who is the paragon of honesty and sincerity. How could you not believe him when he tells you that he can’t do a telekinesis(sic) anymore while bending a piece of metal for your amusement? Truly, if honesty is such a lonely word, then its sole companion is Nomer Lasala himself. Isn’t it comfortable for Filipino mentalists out there to know that a man like this is going to capably represent them? Surely, because it was published online, that means the journalists who wrote this have done their fact-checking, right? Surely, they’ve checked if Mr. Lasala has ever been to Switzerland, or asked casinos whether or not they’ve banned him, or at least know his name, right? Why would Mr. Lasala, heaven forbid, ever embellish a story just to make himself a bigger deal than he actually is? That’s just unheard of! It must also do the heart good to trust in his predictions like the time he promised this lady that her estranged husband would come back to her within six months – oh, wait, he didn’t. Emotional and psychological trauma for the sake of entertainment! Willie Revillame would be proud. Hope that guy you talked to really wins the next elections, then, or else you’d have led them on with false hopes, huh?

Nation, Philippine magic is a very fickle industry, rife with many flash-in-the-pan acts who will tickle your fancy for maybe a few months then fade away into obscurity until they immortalize themselves by doing something absolutely heroic like stabbing their so-called friends in the back by exposing their secrets wholesale, or stabbing their so-called friends in the back by betraying the very people who gave them a break and then lying through their teeth about it. These people of great strength of character are the exemplars by which future magicians should live by.

Welcome to our crazy world. It’s shrouded in secrecy, it has its share of lunatics, but then, when all of this is for your entertainment, and when it doesn’t really hurt anybody, where’s the harm in letting kayfabe run its course onstage? Surely, unless you are a true-blue exemplar who finds himself exempt from petty things like concepts of propriety and respect for other people’s livelihoods, then one should be willing to share a knowing wink with the performer that hey, let’s just all have fun and not stress over the details too much. A lot of performers seem to be forgetting that we’re here to entertain, not to start a new religion. Trying to pass off your psychological mind games and your sleight of hand as genuine psychic power is just tacky and sets performing arts back by making it a joke when the truth comes out.

Of course, if you choose otherwise, you would turn yourself into a hero. Like Bearwin. Like Nomer. If you wish to be a hero like these two, then by all means, destroy away. Go ahead and give the middle finger to all the people who came before you and worked hard to bring the industry where it is today.

So... When Do I Get To Blog From Jail?

.:The Patriotic Filipino Strikes Again!:.

Pretty proud of my new Bio blurb on The POC, considering how much time and effort I put into constructing those five brief sentences.

Anyways, here they are...

Marcelle Fabie (Pronounced "Fa-bee-yay".), who blogs on www.mistervader.com, is a man who embodies the two greatest characteristics of a Patriotic Filipino: he is patriotic, and he is Filipino. As an upstanding individual of strong moral fibre (i.e., he doesn't get laid), he puts the "grit" in "journalistic inteGRITy." Hard-hitting, fearless (except when it comes to Rick Astley), and unbelievably opinionated, he stands for truthiness, justice, and the Filipino way. He has a Pulitzer, a Nobel, an Oscar, a Grammy, and five other weirdly-named pet dogs.

He is also a notorious satirist.

And of course, this comes with a new article that I hope you'd check out.

.:I Wish More Rants Were Less Hate-Filled And More About Epic Winning, Like Charlie Sheen. Too Bad, This Isn't One Of Those...:.

Warning: profane language, possibly triggering language regarding child abuse being treated like a non-issue as well.

Normally, I like me some rational discourse, but today, I am angry. Seething, even. If you wanted someone who will take you by the hand and care about your itty-bitty feelings, go read Marocharim. I am not going to coddle idiots in this post. I will simply be the egalitarian I normally am and hate everything. This is not your regular well-reasoned, polite post.

And you know why not? Because saying it politely before has already fallen on deaf ears. I cannot be bothered to educate people who are shocked that I find child abuse offensive and are not only being Willie Revillame apologists, but child abuse apologists as well at this point. Gasp! Child abuse is bad? Who would have thought?!?

But then, how could I be surprised? We live in a society where rape seems to be half as much the fault of the victim as it is the perpetrator (How often do we ask what a murder victim was wearing?). We live in a society where people go "focus on the real issues instead," as if child abuse isn't an issue. We live in a society where people think that if everyone is having fun, then abuse didn't exist. We live in a society where people think that lousy parents giving their consent to their child performing like a macho dancer on national television makes a child performing like a macho dancer on national television okay. We live in a society where we're willing to look the other way for one man's sins just because he donates money to charity.

Well, screw you, because I don't care about your stupid rhetoric or your attempts to derail from the issue. The issue is pretty clear: Willie Revillame has been a smug, self-important douchebag for a long time already. It didn't matter if 71 people were killed for the sake of his brand of "saya at pag-asa," so long as he kept on bringing it. With each victory he scored, he grew bolder and bolder, to the point where he now believes that he is above petty things like the law and notions of decency and appropriateness.

And it's gotten pretty sad when a guy like me, who is far from a moral guardian, already feels compelled to call out someone and say, "duuuuude. That's not cool. At all." The line between acceptable and unacceptable can sometimes be so fine, but even though Willie Revillame and his ilk pushing their luck all these years has allowed for that line to be blurrier and blurrier, it should become pretty obvious when someone has outright crossed it.

Last Friday, in a 25-minute tirade that showed Willie Revillame was every bit as capable of judging the people whom he insists are judging him, all the while employing Ad Hominem attacks, Ad Misericordiam, red herrings, appealing to fear, appealing to some mysterious showbiz fraternity rule, appealing to a class divide, veiled homophobia, splitting hairs between child labor and child work, attacking a woman for being childless, asking at least two National Artist shoo-ins what they have done for this country (LOL, seriously?!?), persecution complex, using "entertainment" as a justification for his puerile means, lawsuit threats on everyone on Twitter who bashed him, assorted silencing tactics in aid of muddying the issue even further, and in the case of accusing ABS CBN and even PNoy himself, plain conspiracy theory nutjobbery.

Did I miss anything else? I wouldn't be surprised, to be honest, but that's a pretty extensive list of logical fallacies and silencing tactics I have observed Willie Revillame using for years upon years while his fans yay and cheer behind him and then boo and hiss those against him. If you wanted a good primer on logical fallacies and their non-bearing on arguments, feel free to read this post.

Apparently, in the minds of Willie Revillame's apologists, their hero can do no wrong. Oh, let's forget that nobody should be untouchable and beyond criticism. Let's assume that anyone who dares dislike their lord and savior Willie Revillame is merely jealous of him.

Jealous?!? Of what?!? Why would I be jealous of having the opportunity to alleviate poverty through the power and influence I yield all over this nation and fucking it up that same opportunity every single day I fall back to giving dole-outs instead? Why would I be jealous of being regarded as lecherous and being worshiped for the lie I have perpetuated about myself? Why would we be jealous of committing child abuse on national fucking television?!?

And don't you dare tell me to calm the fuck down or to lighten the fuck up! I know all too well how child abuse feels like, because I lived through it, first-hand! Try being force-fed your Magic: The Gathering cards or being sucker-punched in the gut or being sent to places you have no idea how you're going to get home from.

Hell, let's not even talk about physical abuse. Try being constantly berated for years that you're the black sheep of the family while you're consistently on top of class all because you're smarter than your pathetic excuse for a stepdad. Try being the subject of endless potshots at the dinner table when all you wanted was to enjoy a quite "family meal." Try having the Bible used and misused to cow you into thinking that all of this is just fine and dandy, and then being forcefully told to shut up because he's the authority in the "family" when you use the same Bible to disprove his backwards ideas.

If I could give up only one of these types of abuse, I'd have gladly taken twice as much physical abuse over the undeniable demolition job that jackass put on my sense of self-worth over years upon years of verbal and psychological abuse.

These are real issues to me because I lived through them, and I can only hope that no matter how snarky or smarmy I can get, if I were to have a kid, I would never subject them to any form of abuse, and make sure to prepare them for the eventual attempts at abuse that will come from without. I will make damned sure that when my child is home, that home is a safe place.

So go ahead, I dare you, you douchebag: sue me. Sue me for taking you to task for something I have personally gone through: a miserable nightmare for years that you just flippantly dismissed as a non-issue. Go ahead! Sue me! And tell me to lighten up, too! Tell me that my years of experience in an abusive household is nothing and I should just "get over it" and fucking move on. Tell me that there are "bigger issues" than child abuse, I dare you!

I know this comes as a surprise to you, dear Willie Revillame and dear Willie apologists, but not everyone complaining about Willing Willie do so dahil inggit lang sila kay Willie. Some people are angry because they actually have valid reasons to be angry about having an asshole make light of something that is by no means a trivial matter.

So really, Willie, good riddance. Go ahead and take your two-week vacation, then please do all of us a favor and decide to make it permanent. I don't need you coming back to tell me some more how I'm too uptight about a situation I went through myself and having you trigger me all over again.

Oh. Was I being inconsiderate about your feelings on being called out for being a child abuse apologist? Did I hurt your feelings because of how I said my piece just now? Good. Because you sure as Hades were being inconsiderate about my feelings when you made light of child abuse. Don't expect me to extend the same courtesy you couldn't be bothered to extend in the first place.

So if telling you that I don't find child abuse funny makes you want to sue me and send me to jail where I can finally ask Ms. Lea Salonga for an autograph, then lock me right up and throw away the key. I just wanna know if the jail cell has wifi.

On Gods With Feet Of Clay, And The Filipino Dream (Or,What I REALLY Wanted To Say About Manny And Willie.)

.:Gods With Feet Of Clay:.

The past couple of weeks has been an exercise in rationalization for a culture built upon deifying celebrity and elevating them far above and beyond the standards by which we expect of mere mortals such as ourselves.

Some of the issues seem petty when you look at it, really. A famous celebrity announces that she is leaving the very thing that has made her famous in the first place, and instead of having people wish her well, some of her fans actually feel betrayed, as if suddenly, what she wishes to do with her life no longer takes precedence over what her fans want her to do.

Couple that with the fact that she probably isn’t even leaving but probably setting up for something else, and you can see how the overreactions from certain people, practically calling her a traitor to a cause that doesn’t even seem to be a particularly earth-shattering cause to give up your hopes and dreams over in the first place, becomes rather silly. Maybe even pathetic.

The power of celebrity exists. There is no point in denying that. But just as we cannot allow them to be anything more than human by virtue of their celebrity, neither should they be anything less than human by virtue of their celebrity. They have their own lives to lead, their own choices to make, and if we truly support them or believe in them, we must realize that we have no right to demand from our celebrity to abandon their own wishes just to cater to our every whim.

And one guesses that’s exactly what is at work here: a very disheartening gap between the idol and the worshippers, a chasm that is ever-widened by how much slack we are willing to cut our personal heroes so long as they continue to entertain us and cater to our every whim. And how that gap is made even more insurmountable when the inevitable betrayal happens, our vicarious hopes and dreams shattered in the failure of our erstwhile beloved god, turning the altar we once worshipped upon into the pillar we wish to scourge them upon in the blink of an eye.

And yet, through it all, they will move on and not really give a damn about what we think, say, do, or feel. When we realize that we have lived through someone for so long that we’ve forgotten to live our own lives, what happens? What do we do with ourselves, then?

The Fists Of Fury

As I wrote in my article on Manny Pacquiao, there is no question that he is one of the greatest boxers of all time. He is, without a doubt, the best one of this decade, and he has been more than well-rewarded financially and socially on the back of his fifty-two hard-earned victories inside the boxing ring. Nobody can take that away from him.

Sports heroes tend to get a pass in a lot of things. It’s rather easy to see, and it was quite fortuitous I was reading Michael Leahy’s book while I was thinking about this. It put a lot of things into perspective for me and allowed me to step back and look at the bigger picture. In the sporting world, it doesn’t matter if you philander, gamble compulsively, get into fights, or heaven forbid, rape someone. So long as you persist in your winning ways, all is forgiven.

Is this right? Of course not. But you see, it’s understandable: what does a basketball fan care about what his idol does in his bedroom? That’s not a part of the game, and that’s irrelevant to how many points he can score in a game, or how many assists he can dish out.

What people are forgetting is that nobody was critiquing Manny Pacquiao, the boxer. They were critiquing Congressman Manny Pacquiao, the guy who was not doing his job when he really should have, by not properly casting his vote for or against the impeachment of the Ombudsman.

Being a boxing legend does not excuse him from being a lousy congressman. The ever-predictable Paclanders are too busy blaming @momblogger not only for the embarrassment caused by Pacquiao leaving Twitterlandia, but even for his choice of words. And then they had the nerve to say that he meant it in jest, so lighten up.

Lighten up? Really? Lighten up?!?

Weren’t you the same people who refused to lighten up when Alec Baldwin made an off-hand joke about Filipina mail-order brides? Weren’t you the same people who refused to lighten up when Teri Hatcher made a joke in a comedy show about Filipino med schools? Weren’t you the same people who refused to lighten up when Chip Tsao made a satirical article that was making deliberately inflammatory statements to expose the bullying tactics of mainland China? And now you’re telling people to lighten up? Really?

Look: you can’t dictate how other people should feel. If they took offense, they have every right to take offense. And as a Congressman and as someone who has been trying so hard to maintain a certain modicum of role-modelness, Manny should have known better than to make a flippant statement like that. You don’t get to dictate what should be or shouldn’t be offensive to people and then dismiss them by virtue of your own thick-skinnedness because you’d take any insult from your lord and savior Pacquiao as a validation rather than a slight.

Manny Pacquiao’s recent misadventures were not the fault of the people who called him out on Twitter. It was the fault of a man who chose to run for public office when clearly, he had more pressing priorities than the welfare of his own district.

There’s nothing wrong with being a boxing legend, but there’s something wrong with shirking on one’s responsibility and then expecting everyone to just understand. No, not everyone understands, nor are they required to. Unlike you, Mr. Pacquiao, we can’t just take a month or two off work if we feel like beating a Mexican up for $20M. Your deficiencies as a congressman are not beyond question, because how well you punch has nothing to do with how well you lead your constituency.

So to those Paclanders who can’t get this into their heads: all the people on Twitter ever did was to tell a man to do his job. The one he ran for public office for. I think it’s ridiculous that anyone could possibly obfuscate the issue just because he’s a boxing legend. If he didn’t want to do his job, he shouldn’t have applied for the job in the 2010 elections to begin with. The tone argument is beside the point, and does not erase the fact that Honorable Pacquiao is still not doing his job.

How many of us here can fully expect to be praised for not doing your job? I sure can’t.

Willieng Pawns

It was an issue I felt strongly about, albeit I recognized I was relatively powerless in comparison to the originator of the news to me, Aileen Apolo, or the one whom I passed the news onto, MomBlogger. When I saw Jan-Jan’s video, I was shocked at how callous everyone around him was. The kid was crying. He was frightened. And yet, despite all of that, Willie Revillame did not show any signs of easing up on the kid, and still made him do his schtick, which proved extremely disturbing, as the kid gyrated like “a macho dancer,” as Willie Revillame himself put it.

I have despised Willie’s shows for years already, although he isn’t the only one whose tacky and trashy programming I’ve despised. It’s ironic how much more heart a Jerry Springer ripoff like Amy Perez’s Face To Face has, compared to a show like Willing Willie, that’s supposed to be giving joy and hope to the Filipino masses. Fabucelles shares my sentiments, to say the least.

We’ve heard that line a million times before: nagpapasaya lang kami at nagbibigay ng pag-asa. But at what cost does this joy and hope come?

Ridiculously long snaking lines for hopefuls who wish to get into the TV studio for a remote shot at riches, some of them doing this routine for weeks: weeks that could have instead been spent actually looking for a productive job instead of hoping to get a crack at that money tree Willie has been bandying about?

People of all ages selling their dignity for a few thousand bucks, then once the well has run dry, they’d run right back in line to do it all over again?

A fatal stampede, resulting in the deaths of 78 people. So much for “saya at pag-asa” for 78 lives snuffed out due to poor planning and terrible logistics?

Are all of these sins placed solely upon the head of one Willie Revillame? Of course not. But he is the man fronting the show that has showcased this kind of exploitative behaviour more than any other show, not only as its main host, but as one of its top producers. He is a control freak who would lash out at a cameraman who is so much as out of place, as a perfectionist and a consummate workaholic. Nobody can take that away from the man.

In fact, let’s give credit where credit is due: he has probably given out more money through his sponsors than any three to five different local charitable institutions you can pick at random, combined, almost all of this money going to the poor, the downtrodden, and ultimately, the desperate.

Unfortunately, it’s precisely that desperation that has allowed Willie’s blinded fans to give him a pass on anything he has ever done. With each victory he scores atop his unimpeachable soapbox, Willie’s confidence has turned into outright smugness, knowing full well that he has more clout than anyone willing to call him out on the mockery he has made of the Filipino masses.

The ends do not justify the means. Otherwise, it would be okay to lie, cheat, and steal just to get money. Entertainment is never an excuse for crass behaviour and lewd sensationalism. Giving hope and helping others is never going to wash away the blood of the 78 lives snuffed all in the name of this hope and help. If you made your officemates laugh in the pantry all the time, will that save you from getting fired if you embezzled the company’s money? Can your good intentions undo the hurt you have caused with your thoughtless actions?

And yet again, people tell us to “lighten up, it’s just a TV show!” Really? Really?!? Just a TV show that has resulted in the deaths of 78 people (Let’s not play coy here: Willing Willie = Wowowee.)? Just a TV show that has made it seem like exploitation and child abuse are just normal things we should come to expect from Philippine television? Just a TV show where people sell their souls for a few thousand pesos, yet not really elevating their lives afterwards? Really? That’s it?!?

No, you douchebags! It’s not just a TV show. It’s a mirror of the kind of society we live in that is not only on the verge of tolerating the abuse of a child on national television, but even making it his fault that he got treated like that, because that’s what he wanted to do when he auditioned! Woooow!

Allow me to educate you for a moment here. When Willie said that it was Jan-Jan’s idea to dance like a macho dancer, Willie has resorted to Victim Blaming, a phenomenon where instead of placing the blame squarely on the offender, we instead point to the victim. If, for example, a woman gets raped, it’s not the rapist’s fault: it’s the woman’s fault, because she dresses too “sluttily”, or she led the rapist on. What kind of backwards thinking is that?!?

Jan-Jan is six years old. The people screening him were far older than that, and Willie’s what? Forty-something? These are people who should have known better. Instead, after seeing Jan-Jan dance the way he did, Willie asked him to do it again, and again, and again! Where’s the concern there? Or is this because it causes so much “joy” and “hope” to see a desperate kid dance like a macho dancer for a few thousand bucks? Ang saya-saya ko naman makita yan! I’m sorry, but I can’t get off of Schadenfreude from a six-year old kid.

And the parents? They’re okay with it? So Jan-Jan has lousy parents, who tolerate having a kid who can dance like a macho dancer for the entertainment of people. Does that suddenly just absolve Willie Revillame? Really? It does? Or is that less an absolution of Willie Revillame, but also an indictment of Jan-Jan’s parents, putting them in the same police line-up as Willie and the vultures backing this mockery of a show?

In all honesty, it’s sad that instead of a call for unity, we’ve had people saying those among us indignant now are hypocrites. Let’s ignore the fact that only now is social media finding the clout to get things done, compared to even just a year or two ago, when it was just next to ignored. Let’s ignore how many celebrities are now on Twitter, whereas they were nowhere to be found online just last year. Let’s ignore that this is a catalyst for action, and not just a knee-jerk reaction of hypocrisy. Let’s even ignore that there is a huge gap between fully consenting adults dancing sexily for a living and a six-year old dancing sexily for a one-time windfall.

Common sense has flown out the window. Iya Justimbaste is probably laughing now, pointing at the folly of the Filipinos who make up excuses for the imperfections of their gods like Pacquiao and Revillame.

Newsflash: they were never perfect. The sooner you accept it, the sooner you will realize that they should be held accountable for their shortcomings when it does worse than just affect themselves.

Our gods have feet of clay. It shouldn’t have been a surprise at all, and it shouldn’t be our fault that we are just pointing out the truth. The truth hurts. The sooner you can accept it, the sooner we can do something about it.

This was never about rich versus poor. Don’t let the Pacquiao’s, the Estrada’s, or the Revillame’s of the world fool you. These people are far richer than any of us so-called rich people, to begin with. It has always been a question of the willingness of the Filipino person to do the right thing and correct the wrong thing, no matter how inconvenient it might be.

Throw away everything and boil down to the essentials, and then ask yourself with all honesty: is it truly impossible to help people without resorting to sexy dancers, exploiting sob stories, and fatal stampedes? And if our answer is “no, it’s not impossible,” then why the Hades are we tolerating the status quo?

Think about it.

Randomicity At Three In The Morning...

.:A Storm Of Commentary:.

I’ve been having some moments of inspiration while writing for The POC lately, so I managed to cover Noynoy’s new Porsche as well as the Big Bad Blogger.

On the showbiz front, my good friend, Fabucelles, came up with an inimitable take on the disbanding of Bamboo and the departure of Ebe from Sugarfree. Pretty interesting stuff, and I’m at a point where more and more, I do want to take some of my commentary onscreen because I know I can pull it off.

Project 365 (348/365): On Philippine TV Magic

.:348/365: On Philippine TV Magic:.

There’s a lot of magic on Philippine television lately, and in this case, I’d want to focus mainly on non-exposure features of magic, for starters.

Philippine TV has had its fair share of magic programs, whether they be full-blown TV specials, or even regular TV shows. Currently, Wow, Meganon has segments featuring Jeff Tam and Wanlu, albeit Wanlu has focused on his ventriloquism at this point.

Nonetheless, there has been a lot of television airtime featuring magic from Filipinos, and it’s a bit funny and sad that in terms of fresh ideas, the regular TV shows have a lot more of them than the TV specials, seeing how nearly every single TV special aired so far has been a spiritual ripoff of a western one, and that practically every single effect that has been performed has been done before in a western one. It’s not even just the fact that these effects have been shown before, it’s that all the pizzazz and sizzle from the previous ones were stripped away in the localized performances.

Project 365 (299/365): Magicians On AGT We'd Rather Sweep Under The Rug

.:299/365: Magicians On AGT We’d Rather Sweep Under The Rug:.

If Kevin James made me proud to be a magician, these next few guys actually do, too. No, really.

You see, except for one particular act in that video that was just flat-out terrible, these magicians are all actually good to excellent performers, except they didn’t quite know that the playing field is massively against their favour in a short attention span program like America’s Got Talent. If you haven’t got something absolutely unbelievable going on with your magic act in the first ten seconds, then you’re probably not going to make the cut by sheer virtue of the wham-bam, thank you, ma’am nature of television.

Quite sadly, these talent shows won’t ever really catapult a magician to stardom. Unlike singers and dancers, magicians really are a seasonal thing, and savvy as the organizers of these competitions are, they won’t throw in their marketing machine on what could only be a fleeting success. At best, the lifespan of a fully marketed magician in this country would be five years at best, and even if they have continued success such as Erik Mana, you can rest assured that they won’t achieve the same mainstream appeal that a Sarah Geronimo would. It is what it is.

Project 365 (298/365): Kevin James Audition On AGT

.:298/365: Kevin James Audition On AGT:.

I’m a huge fan of new school magic packaged in an old school manner, and this is really what Kevin James managed to achieve in his audition for America’s Got Talent. It’s an illusion I have never seen performed the way he has, but the way he conducts himself and the way he sets everything up feels just so old school that the charm of the whole thing really makes one pause to think for a while.

I think that in terms of style, this is the way I like to perform full-on stage magic: something new dressed up as something old, playing on everyone’s expectations while you’re doing it.

Project 365 (297/365): The Mind Of David Berglas TV Show

.:297/365: The Mind Of David Berglas TV Show:.

This video is a work of art: David Berglas, international man of mystery, once had a TV show that featured some of his best work. From the opening of the show to everything else, this program was really quite an eye-opener, and made for excellent television. Berglas is always a wondrous sight to behold, and his timeless appeal just oozes out in everything he does.

Project 365 (296/365): We Interrupt Your Regular Programming...

.:296/365: We Interrupt Your Regular Programming...:.

No magic secret is safe on TV 5’s piece of crap.

Well, hello there, magic community! Welcome the newest bunch of jackasses who just can’t seem to help but want to look like they’re so smart so they go right ahead and “expose” the secrets of magic for everyone to see.

Yeah. Sure.

When Valentino pulled this stunt some time ago, many magicians were frothing at the mouth and all but wanted to murder the guy: under the guise of “forcing magic to evolve,” Valentino revealed the secrets behind some of the best illusions performed by magicians over the decades, and in one fell swoop, destroyed the honor and prestige of being a magician like it has never been decimated before. From that day on, an interview with any magician could never be completed without some reporter asking how the magician feels about Valentino’s actions.

Many magicians, solely because of the “Breaking The Magician’s Code” expose’s , found themselves in need of a new career. Their popularity flagged because *gasp* apparently, magic wasn’t real. It seemed that many people took delight in running across rooftops and shouting to everyone who would care that nobody has genuine magic powers.

I tried that once, actually: I went around school, telling everyone that Hugh Laurie wasn’t really a doctor. I can’t believe nobody was shocked, let alone gave a damn.

Newsflash: the deception of magic is an implicit contract of willing suspension of disbelief. We didn’t go here to start a new religion or to regale you with our extraordinary abilities. We went here to make a living. When the formula of a stupid softdrink is considered worth dying for because Coca-Cola’s secret formula equates to a multi-billion dollar company’s well-being, then is it any wonder when other magicians feel deeply offended when their trade secrets are being aired out for all to see, considering that it jeopardizes their livelihood and casts a very condescending eye towards the industry at large?

Why is it that these TV producers seem to think that they know what’s best for the magic industry? Who died and made them the people who can declare that “we’re not doing this to denigrate the art, but to force it to evolve?” Why is it deconstructionists seem to have no idea how to be reconstructionists, and leave the mess to the very same people they already castrated? And why is the Philippines copying an already tired trope and then trying to pass it off as “good” for an industry they have nothing to do with?

I’m one of those magicians who has never been directly affected by exposure. As a comedy mentalist, I always make it very clear that I’m not out to make believers when I perform. I’m merely there to entertain, and surely, there is nothing wrong with doing that. Despite that, every single magic or mentalist performer has been indirectly affected by exposure, because exposure has made it seem like magicians maliciously hide their secrets, rather than them hiding their secrets much the same way any business tycoon would never let you have a franchise of their successful business model if you don’t compensate them properly for it.

Magic is an art, but it is also a business. If you can’t respect magic’s business practices and instead decide for yourself that they should reveal how they do everything, then it’s pretty obvious that you’re not doing this to “evolve” magic, but because you take abnormal pleasure in killing people’s sense of wonder for no other purpose than to make you feel better about your own pathetic existence. That you had to destroy other people’s livelihoods to do it just makes it all the worse.

You’d think a musician like Kean Cipriano would be more sensitive towards respecting people’s intellectual property, yet surprise surprise, it turns out that we’re just going to have to remind everyone that YOU CAN DOWNLOAD CALLALILY’S DISCOGRAPHY HERE. Remind me never to catch Callalily’s gigs again.

I am outraged at the kind of disrespect that the producers of this show have demonstrated, all after the buckets of business one of their Talentadong Pinoy Hall-of-Famers, Wanlu, has brought to the table for them. I am outraged at the condescending tone that they take against magic, encouraging people to treat magic with disdain rather than as a source of entertainment. We all know that actors aren’t the characters they portray. Why can’t people get it in their heads that magicians are simply more of the same?

Fuck you, TV 5. And fuck you, Kean and Empoy.

Guesting On Unang Hirit This Wednesday, And Project 365

.:Unang Hirit Again!:.

Hi, guys! I'm guesting this Wednesday on Channel 7 for Unang Hirit. I'll be talking about mentalism, so you know it's going to be a very interesting time for everyone involved.

.:209/365: Broom Suspension:.

Whether or not you know how this is done, I personally consider this to be one of the most visually astounding illusions in stage magic, as it simply looks possible yet impossible, as opposed to a straight-up levitation, which just looks flat-out impossible, period.

There are many versions of this routine out there already, but even the basic mechanics of the routine are well-thought out enough to stand scrutiny. This illusion has a fairly storied history, although I’m very partial to the feathered boa version.

Overall, I do believe that this is one of those few illusions that still really baffles people, despite the fact that it looks less impossible than a flat-out levitation. The fact that it seems even remotely possible seems to make the illusion even stronger than it already is.

Before The End Of The Weekend... Heh.

.:I’m Amused:.

I had a brush with celebrity last Friday. Check this out. Heh.

So apparently, they aired one of my guest bits on the Front Act Show with Mike and Stanley, and you’ll see what happened around 1:45 on this clip...

Apparently, my skill with the ladies needs a lot of work. Heh.

It’s good to know that great things have been happening lately, though, as I’ve had an amazing show with Mike, Stan, and Uli last night in Grub, and of course, there are a lot more things that we can look forward to in the coming days as the machinery starts roaring back into full steam ahead. It’s going to be an awesome time, to say the least.

.:The POC On The Rise:.

My latest article was published on The POC recently, and it’s called “Beating Around The Odds.” I hope you like it, and you should check out what’s going on in the Sosyal channel as well, as my good friend Fabucelles continues writing about soap opera stars in the way only he can.