Joey, The Crab

A joey is a young kangaroo. But the joey that I'm talking about here is nothing young and cute, but an ageing self proclaimed carnivorous lion. King of the jungle? Nothing can be more fitting, for who else should reign a kingdom where the most savaged, merciless, breed less roam. No one is more deserving.

With all due respects to Mr. Joey de Leon, I recognize that fact that he is already a pillar in the entertainment industry, having starred in countless forgettable parodic comedies back in the 80's and hosting the country's longest running variety program which undeniably has lost its originality. He has already made a name for himself, constantly reinventing as one talented and brilliant artist. But sad to day, his latest reinvention was shameless and unbecoming. Indeed proving that the case of Benjamin Button do really exist! Only this time, it’s the character that ages backgrounds.

You might be wondering why I hate Joey de Leon this much. Nope. I don’t actually hate him, I abhor him. I can withstand his cleverness when explaining something or when he's defending himself against his rivals, but to put down someone who has not done him any wrong, think that’s totally disappointing, something nobody would be expecting to hear from someone of his stature.

What am I talking about here? Well, it's his latest column in Philippine Star where he hit back on those people who trying to get their share of spotlight from the death of the King of Pop. I am now in Dubai and I am the least likely to care about him and his traditional antics, but when he's hitting on an unsuspecting fellow who's just starting to make a name for herself in the international music scene, my gloves and shields are ready to defend the innocent from the attacks of the crabs.

Here's an excerpt of that shameless and tasteless poem-article he published which undoubtedly was referring to ____________________________________ CHARICE PEMPENGCO:

Meron pa daw biglang naging idol s’ya,

Mabubuking mo dahil iba mga kanta,

Laging birit Beyoncé, Celine at Mariah,

Nang bumigay si MJ, umiba ang gaga.

Tigilan na nuno ng kasinungalingan,

Kesyo kinukuha raw para sa one-on-one

Nila ni Michael Jackson gagawin sa London,

Beat it! That is Bad, puro kayo ka-cheap-an.

Hoy, ano ba naman, eh humigit kumulang

Ang mga presyo ng tickets ay fifty thousand,

Makita lang si Michael ‘yan ang babayaran

At hindi bisitang galing kung saan-saan

Man, is this how you belittle a kid with an enormous talent, please give this child a break! Has your cleverness to write interesting articles gone down to drain that even now you're trying to second the bitterness of Mr. Freddie Aguilar? If Charice and Arnel were "monkeys", you are the lice in their hairs! Where is your wisdom? Is this the culmination of all your years building your name which you think is synonymous to pride, respect and might? If so, then it's sad. Mr. Joey de Leon, Charice is no Willie Revillame nor a tabloid writer that you wished to kill. She's a young Filipina trying to represent the dreams of so many of us, dreams that you could wish you've been given too. So Please spare her. Spare her of your jealousy.

Admittedly, there might really be some people riding on the issue of MJ's death, but Charice is different. When she claimed that she's supposed to perform a showdown of Billie Jean with the late MJ, she could be telling something so possible. After all, Charice 's mentor, David Foster was the co-producer of MJ's single "Heal the World". And if you could only searched Youtube to see her perform that song with all her mimicry, you could say that this little girl really has talent that even MJ couldn’t resist. It's just so sad that a lot of people around the world are praising and admiring her, but in our country, people just feel the opposite. Talking about people using MJ for their own benefit, what would you call his article any way. Isn’t that cheaper and self serving?

I don t want to end sounding like I am so obsessed with Charice. I am not, I am just a fan, a proud fan. So for you Mr. Joey de Leon, grow up in the way we should all do, forward. You had your time. Now it’s for others to shine. Be happy for other people successes, it's also ours. Be receptive of new talents. We are all Filipino, not crabs.

Tales of the Videotapes

Like a virus quick spreading, Katrina Halili and Hayden Kho’s highly controversial sex videos have finally found its way here in Dubai. Not even the local airport’s tight security over another virus, the A(H1N1) and the city’s stiff ISP firewall could contain the voyeurism from spreading out and infecting the laptops and mobile phones of our kababayans here in this side of the planet. So how do Pinoys here reacted with the video? In different capacities, some were thrilled, especially the porno hungry, some were embarrassed, particularly the women who could only wish that it never happens to them, some were disappointed with Hayden’s size, his brain size that is for his ridiculous way of “documenting memories”, some were enraged, for the irresponsibility of publicizing the videos and some were just too busy to care about.

Dancing to Careless Whisphers. Careless Indeed.

As for me, I had mixed reactions. I never really like Katrina Halili ever since. Thought she’s just another actress with nothing to show except from the gigantic size of her hips. But when I saw her crying on television and later reappearing as strong willed, apologetic, determined and humble, my perception of her has shifted to an admirable one. The woman that I saw is no longer the cloth stripped for adults-only-magazine cover girl, but a woman who has been violated of her rights and is now fighting for it at whatever cost even at the expense of her image and popularity. As for Hayden Kho, partially I kinda like his idea of documenting memories but not the part of doing it without the consent of the people involved. I think that it’s treacherous, unbecoming of his profession and simply unfair. As for the people responsible for circulating the videos, may God give them peace and I hope soonest that justice be served. One can always rebuilt a house that was burned, or recover a car that stolen or replace a boyfriend that run away with another girl, but to lose your dignity and honor by such means would always leave a mark that will haunt us forever.

Katrina Halili and Hayden Kho’s videos are now public properties. Allegedly, Hayden has forty videos all in all. Honestly, I have watched the videos myself and comparing it with other pornos that I have seen, the videos were trash quality wise. But unlike other pornos where the cast did their act for the money, the videos of Katrina and Hayden were private moments that should have remained private. What more, it featured people that we know, people that we admire and look up to, people who could be a daughter, a sister, a girlfriend, a friend and an inspiration to someone. It wouldn’t have made such a great impact if it has starred just some nameless wannabees hoping the videos could accord them some overnight popularity. The women involved were decent, educated and have already made a name for themselves and would least likely to enjoy the tremendous recognition emanating from those exposed private acts. Sex, for that matter, isn’t bad, especially between consenting adults. But recording it with one party unaware is objectionable. Releasing the same for the whole wide world to see is even more condemnable and by and large, should be punishable.

If it wasn’t for the videos, this whole issue of Katrina-Hayden-Vicky “snaking” would have long been over. Katrina had admitted her mistake if indeed falling in love with a committed was one. She had apologized and was ready to move on. If it wasn’t for the videos, theirs could have been just one of the many twists and turns that define show business. If it wasn’t for the videos, Katrina and Hayden wouldn’t have catapulted to this undeniable popularity by chance. If it wasn’t for the videos, an expanding cast that now included senators, congressmen, government officials, civil rights group, showbiz personalities, business opportunist and families of the involved wouldn’t have joined in the bandwagon to complicate, shed light, defend or condemn the sin and the sinners.

As the days pass by, the issue of the videotapes are getting complicated and has the making of a one, huge, star studded movie of love and betrayal that surprisingly turned into a crime of passion or vengeance, who done it plot that is bent to end with a moral confrontations and an epic legal battle. Sounds exciting huh? But come to think of it. If it wasn’t for the videos, Filipinos back home and even here would have been thinking instead of ways on how to do good at these difficult times, people would have been busy preparing for the coming school opening, people would have been more compassionate for the victims of calamities, people would have been focusing more on how to avoid the deadly A(H1N1) virus or thinking more intelligently of who to vote in the coming 2010 presidential elections. If it wasn’t for the videos, I wouldn’t have written this blog

The videos of Katrina and Hayden have already made such a great impact on everyone else’s lives. Everyone now seems to be familiar with “auto focus” and as such, it is only proper that we be informed of who really started all these. Who is really to be blamed for this controversy that has set the nation ever so restless and intriguingly asking. The mystery of who done it rolls. Some parties say that Katrina herself should be blamed for what she’s getting now. She shouldn’t have involved into a relationship with a committed man in the first place. Some have accused her of introducing the use of illegal drugs to Hayden. Some quarters opine that it is Hayden that should be put behind bars for illegally taking videos of his sexual acts without the knowledge of his partners. A pervert of the highest form, he was, commented one senator. Dr. Vicky Belo naturally denied accusations that she’s responsible for circulating the videos, though being the aggravated party in the Katrina-Hayden stint, she has all the reasons to. Could she be getting her vengeance now? Eric Chua had already come out to belied allegations that he’s the one who publicized the videos. He denied having close ties with Hayden. The mother of Hayden, according to some people, should be criticized for her child’s behavior, after all, a mother’s character is judged by the way she raised her children.

Overall for me, this whole issue is a sad thing. In times that we exactly need some good and inspiring moments to counter the numerous tragic and depressing times that we are experiencing, these are the news that we are hearing. For all its consolation, it could be an eye opener for all men out there to behave properly and to treat women with respect and the act of sex as sacred and for all women to be more cautious when it comes to entering into relationships and hotel rooms. As individuals, sometimes we have to go through painful and excruciating ordeals to realize our mistakes and make us better person. In time, the bad memories will be erased and the lessons that we have opened up for others will be remembered part of our legacy.