this has been a volatile week, punctuated by health scare, political unrest, and several unexpected deaths — high-profile stars who have been on slow, progressive career decline, and an anonymous iranian woman (who was later identified as neda agha soltan) whose shocking videotaped death jolted the world and reflected the the turbulent post-election events rocking iran these days.

and so michael jackson is gone. so is Charlie’s Angel farrah fawcett.

it’s a pity that the Gloved One’s remarkable career has been somewhat disfigured by his many troubles (personal, legal, financial) in the last few years. with all the things that are being heaped on michael jackson’s pyre though, there is one tribute that really strikes me to the core (read this tribute by Lewis Segal of LA Times; excerpt below) — because it encapsulates what i’d been trying (but couldn’t find a way) to express.

But if he didn’t want to look like himself, he always danced liked no one else. That was his triumph. And that’s why we should remember how he worked his lithe, articulate, hair-trigger body more than all the operations, marriages, court cases and financial meltdowns that marked his career.

Most of us never saw him in live performance but think we knew him. Not from the piping, childlike vocals, however catchy, but from the moves — the unforgettable soul-deep individuality of his dancing. And that’s a legacy worth celebrating.

as for farrah fawcett, whose life has been something of a tabloid fodder in recent years, i choose to remember her as she was when she was young (that poster!), effervescent and full of potential.

so long guys. and have a safe journey home.

i just finished watching Transformers 2: Revenge of the of the Fallen. and boy, do my senses feel pummeled, knocked askew, rolled around, and stomped on for good measure.

as i had expected, Revenge of the Fallen is basically a jumbled, sprawling mass of explosive, disjointed scenes that’s bound and determined to knock your senses silly. and i’m convinced the movie was meant to be that way — what else can you expect from a michael bay-directed film that’s geared towards big and small boys (along with a few others) based on a line of toys?

anyways, this time around, you get more explosive action, more ‘bots, more megan fox, and a more incoherent storyline. and this time, Optimus Prime gets some well-deserved focus (and he’s more proactive, too).

whew. ok, that’s it people. i gotta sleep now (i have another long day tomorrow).

as some of my exasperated friends would tell you, i am a fairly loquacious person. i am rarely at a loss for words when something strikes me as funny, weird or absurd. earlier this week, though, a trivial event left me fairly nonplussed.

anyways, this is how it happened:

after a few minutes of pacing (ground floor), i finally got into the elevator, along with a guy (let’s call him passenger A) who works in the same building. instead of going up though, we went down another floor — presumably, to pick another passenger (B) from the basement.

as the door opened to the basement lobby, there was this guy who stepped forward, then stopped and rocked on his heels, looked around, then glanced at us hesitatingly. finally, he blurted, “Going up?”

for a split second, passenger A and shared a startled look, then turned away hastily to hide our twitching lips. when the elevator door closed, i stole a quick glance at passenger B — he looked rather offended because we didn’t even answer his question.

hello?! obvious ba? at moments like this, what else can you say?

a slew of new movies are about to descend upon us. there are quite a few of them that i’d like to watch, so i’m making up a random list here.

1. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

this big, lumbering film has been on everyone’s mind these days — its promo ads are everywhere! it looks like it’s going to be another blockbuster for michael bay. Revenge of the Fallen has already premiered in several cities worldwide, and its supposed to hit the theaters on june 24th. so watch out.

cast: shia lebouf, megan fox, josh duhamel, tyrese gibson, jon voight, and those awesome robots.

2. Sherlock Holmes
this latest film adaptation of the life and times of that incomparable detective is megged by guy ritchie (madonna’s ex) and will be shown in december, although in our case it will probably be moved to january because of the MFF. *sigh*

cast: robert downey, jude law, rachel mcAdams
my favorite line:
holmes: madam, behind this pillow is the key to my release [this cracked me up]

3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
the sixth installment of this hugely successful franchise will be shown around july. i’m no longer as excited as i used to be but i guess i’ll end up watching this film, too.

cast: daniel radcliffe, emma watson, rupert grint, michael gambon, jim broadbent, etc.

4. The Proposal
here’s another rom-com flick from sandra bullock. the proposal has already opened in the US and australia, but it will probably make its bow here in a couple of weeks.

cast: sandra bullock, ryan reynolds, mary steenburgen, craig t. nelson.

5. Bruno
sacha cohen baron is at it again. the man otherwise known as borat is taking another stab at tickling our bones (or raising some people’s blood pressure) with his insanely outrageous antics, this time as a flamboyant gay character. hmmm…

now, if Bruno is anything like Borat, i suppose we can expect some fireworks to ensue. another interesting point that begs to be said is how easily and convincingly baron cohen can slip into various characters that he has made famous (ali g., borat, bruno), and yet look so completely different and ‘toned down’ in real life.
cast: sacha baron cohen, alice evans

6. Year One
i’ll probably get lynched for including Year One on this list, but since jack black has always been something of a magnet for my wayward attention anyway — there’s just no accounting for taste, i guess — i’ll just get on with it and hope for the best heheheh. (but i’m putting on some protective gear just in case.)

if you like your comedy to be a bit on the tasteful, subtle side, it’s a safe bet you’re not gonna like this movie. as one might expect, Year One has received a thorough beating from critics. not that it’s going to alter my plans though.

cast: jack black, michael cera, hank azaria, oliver platt