Ellie · Parker

Watched this with my brother. Brandy watched the first half but she fell asleep.

There are films that you understand and appreciate more when you watch it again the second time around - and you're older. Examples: The Crucible and Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Here's another one.

I watched Gosford Park way back 2002. I just watched it again and I kept cursing (sorry, I do that when I am amazed) and applauding. Oh and goosebumps everywhere. PS: Wonderful, wonderful ensemble. Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren were nominated for individual awards, the cast received nominations for Best Ensemble and Robert Altman was honored for directing. Clive Owen and Kelly McDonald were noticed here. Every actor and director should watch this.

I particularly like the scene between the lord and the maid. The lord was wondering out loud why there were fortunate and unfortunate people. He was talking about the rich and the poor, of course. Then the maid replied by saying that people do what they love - and it was giving, pertaining that servants love their jobs after all.

Goosebumps everywhere.

And even my director friends love this movie.

• Christine Cojuangco and Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez like this.
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    Emmanuel Dela Cruz Gosford is a master class!

    Saturday at 21:29 · Unlike· 1
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    Lara Tarranco Am downloading all his films. He loves actors. I love him. :D

    Saturday at 21:30 · Like
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    Emmanuel Dela Cruz You might wanna check out John Cassavetes, Mike Leigh and Milos Forman, among others :)

    Saturday at 21:45 · Unlike· 1
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    Lara Tarranco Seen some Mike Leigh films. Love "Secrets & Lies." Will look into your recommendation. :)

    Saturday at 21:46 · Like· 1
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    Emmanuel Dela Cruz Secrets & Lies is one of my faves of all time

    Saturday at 22:10 · Unlike· 1
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    Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez Love Robert Altman films! Kapapanood ko yata sa kanya kaya mahilig ako sa multi-characters sa films ko. Ayt!

    Saturday at 22:19 · Unlike· 1
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    Lara Tarranco ‎Will Fredo loves, loves, loves him too. :D First film I saw of Altman's was "Short Cuts." Whoa on Julianne Moore's memorable scene. I was 12, teehee. :D

    Saturday at 22:21 · Like· 2
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    Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez I was 21 when I saw Short Cuts. 18 when I saw Pret-A-Portier. Doon ako na-in-love sa multi-character na stories. Altman never won an Oscar. Akala ko bibigyan na siya when he did his last film pero ipinagkait pa din ng Academy. Hay!

    Saturday at 22:33 · Like· 1
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    Lara Tarranco Oo nga noh... Di siya nabigyan. :( But look so many directors and actors affected by his work. He will live forever.

    Saturday at 22:34 · Like· 1
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    Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez Yup, he will...

    Saturday at 22:35 · Unlike· 1
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    Michael Rolluque I LOVE GOSFORD PARK!

    Yesterday at 00:20 · Unlike· 1
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    Lara Tarranco When was the last time you watched it? If it's been awhile, watch it again. You'll see it differently. :D

    Yesterday at 00:21 · Like
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    Will Fredo You guys should watch then the new crazy PBS series Downtown Abbey :) It's my new fave. If you ♥ Altman, you'll enjoy this series :)

    Yesterday at 00:26 · Unlike· 2
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    Lara Tarranco Downloading it now. :D

    Yesterday at 00:28 · Like
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    Lara Tarranco Even if I'm bitter because it won the Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series, beating "Mildred Pierce." Hehe. :P

    Yesterday at 00:28 · Like
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    Michael Rolluque ‎Lara Tarranco, you will se why it beat MP. Dali goooo!

    Yesterday at 00:29 · Unlike· 2
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    Lara Tarranco Sige sige sige! :D

    Yesterday at 00:29 · Like
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    Will Fredo Obsessed fans tweet about it. You should read the funny Tweets on the net. It's the new Dynasty and Maggie Smith is Joan Collins! Hahaha! Enjoy :)

    Yesterday at 00:33 · Unlike· 1

I actually watched this to prepare for Gwendolen.
The whole high class British society and all.

Last Saturday, I got my acting mojo back.

I went to three auditions. There were four but I skipped one because I didn't know how to get to the venue and I didn't want to invest time there and be tired when I go to the other one which I really wanted to get into.

And it all paid off.

Maybe it helped that I came from piano and voice lessons so I was in a performing mode already.

The first two auditions were in La Salle. The two student contacts were accommodating enough to put my real name in the guest pass list. As I made my way in, wondering how to get to Miguel Building, I bumped into Thea. She just read for one audition. When I told her that there were two auditions, she walked right back in and showed me the way to Miguel. Haha.

So the first audition I read for a girl in her 20s then a maid. I think I did better with the maid though.

As for the second audition, I read for a bikini model with cancer. Now the shoot is interesting because it's a week stay in Punta Fuego. They asked me if that was okay if they were to cast me. "Oh yes. Take me to the beach."

I took a picture of me and Thea but I fumbled with my camera's battery that it didn't save it. Oh. Too bad. We really had a brief bonding moment that time. I also bade her good luck in her audition for Jeffrey Jeturian. I would have gone even if it were all the way in Cubao - but I was too old. They were looking for college students, 18 to 21 years old. If it were 21 to 25, I would have still gone. Maybe because Issa and Anne said I could pass for 23 to 25 age range. Teehee!

Speaking of Issa, I called her before heading to the third audition. The one for Lunar Saints - because I wasn't sure which building it was. The whole time I thought it was the one where we had the auditions for Kapi and Baby Angelo. I was wrong. I had an idea which one was it but I needed confirmation. Issa gave me directions and the landmarks and even said, "Take care, baby."

Yes, I was starstruck. She is such a sweet friend. Roan and Lesley were right. Once you get to know her, she is an angel. Very caring.

Funny story. I hired a jeep to get there. The people who boarded before me got down because they were impatient. So I asked the driver if I could hire him. It was just in Cityland after all. Short distance. And I was sure he would get passengers along the way. The negotiation of P50 became P80. I said yes. I was the one who suggested P80 anyway. Heck that was cheaper than the P150 I paid for a jeepney driver in Makati to drop me off my office on my first day of work and it was raining.

Anyway, I got to Lunar Saints and my name was listed but it was Lara Tarranco. So when I gave the guards my ID, they asked the usual - if I were related to Freddie and Maegan Aguilar.

While waiting for my turn, I was vocalizing, just in case they asked me to sing.

And it was one of the best auditions ever. I just felt confident in front of the owners of the production company - Rommel and Justin. When they asked me to do a monologue, I asked if they wanted a contemporary or Shakespearean piece. I did the one from Before Sunset. They loved it.

When they asked me to sing, I sang I Don't Know How To Love Him and they loved it too. It really helped I had voice lessons earlier. Haha. And I have to credit the audition for Carlos Celdran because there were eight people in the room. I was nervous yes, but I still sang the best I could.

And they said I was really good. That I was experienced. They welcomed me on board. Actress, talent and host.

A really good start for the year.

So I updated Issa. She was the one who encouraged me to go anyway. I was having second thoughts - because I missed the first one - on a rainy Sunday. There was a second day and I was available. I'm really glad I went.

I also told Anthony. He knows my fear of singing. I updated Louise too because she is my voice teacher.

And as I made my way back home, this was playing on the radio along Mantrade.



Interestingly, that was the number one song when I was born.

And when I think about it more - I am a Karma Chameleon because of my profession. Haha.

Louise was surprised by my ball of energy when I came to music class yesterday. I used to skip lessons with her whenever I had auditions - but it's a whole new year so it's a whole new me. In fact, I plan to audition Saturday afternoons - after voice and piano.

That is why I'm going to Cinemalaya auditions on Sunday and not Saturday. I usually go first thing on Saturdays (I did that the previous years) but I have lessons.

It's a change.

Because I was "prepping," I was very spontaneous and emotional. At one point, I was laughing then I had tears in my eyes. Haha.

I see an improvement whenever I practice daily. It's like performing for Louise now so she gives me a higher grade.

I also apply what I learned from Ms. Ana. The whole coming in with energy. Same with a song. Whenever I feel like I started the song on a low note - I played it again and started it right. Louise nodded her head in approval.

Also in voice, she told me that I had to feel the vibrations on my face - and not just my chest and throat. Voice is really a muscle that has to be practiced on a daily basis. Same with playing the piano.

I have been singing these two songs for her for some time now. She pushes me to perfect these next week.

That are worth bookmarking and uploading

I woke up hearing this song in my head. Wooohoooo! See you, Katy!

1996: Alanis Morisette with Ruzzel.
1998: The Moffatts with Tricia, Maru and France.
2001: The Corrs with Iñigo.
2006: The Pussycat Dolls with Am.
2008: Vanessa Carlton with Sean.
2010: Train with Martin, Laila and Aisa.
2012: Katy Perry with my sister, Trina and her sister.


When Katy Perry first came out, she was just okay for me. Her I Kissed A Girl debut single was on a loop because I was internalizing, hehe. Before I used to think she wore too much make up in her videos, which turned me off. But it was when she was a guest judge on American Idol did it hit me. She's pretty. Haha. Since then, I appreciated her more - and really listened to her songs.

I'm sooooooo excited.

The 10 Best hitRECord Cover Songs By Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has proven himself versatile on the big screen, from romantic lead opposite Zooey Deschanel ((500) Days of Summer) to a dream thief (Inception) to an anarchic sociopath (Hesher). This past weekend he proved that we could find humor in even the darkest of times with the cancer-comedy 50/50. However, his biggest passion is his company, hitRECord. The site is an open-collaborative production company where users can submit anything from stories to video to drawings to anything artistic. Gordon-Levitt also puts on shows to showcase some of the hitRECord collaborations users have come up with. At these shows he likes to do covers of popular songs to entertain and thank the crowd for coming. Here we take a look at 10 of the best musical covers from Regular Joe (his username for hitRECord) at his events.

10. “Alcohol” – Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley’s song written from the perspective of alcohol is witty and clever; everything that personifies hitRECord as a website. Out of all the covers on this list it’s most true to the original and we get to hear Gordon-Levitts Southern drawl.

9. “You Can’t Hurry Love” – The Supremes
One of the plethora of Motown songs to make the list, Gordon-Levitt sings this in an amazing falsetto that can rival Dianna Ross. Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true, but this acoustic cover matches the doo-wop vibe straight from the 1960s. Most of the comments on the video claim that he’s on a nationwide tour to make women fall in love with him and the rest are female fans calling him adorable.


8. “Who’s Lovin’ You?” – The Miracles
Though the song was originally done by the Miracles, it was perhaps the Jackson 5 who made the song as popular as it is. This cover is stripped down and just has Gordon-Levitt with an acoustic guitar. Unlike other songs that he’s done at live shows, this song completely silences the crowd. They hang on every word as he sings the lamentation of an ex-lover.



7. “Don’t Look Back in Anger – Oasis
Is there anything he can’t do? Putting aside his guitar, Gordon-Levitt plays this Oasis song at a piano. He claims to never have played piano and sang into a microphone at the same time; imagine what he’d be able to do with practice. Because any song he covers can’t be put on the hitRECord site he stops singing but keeps playing because Oasis doesn’t own the chords. That way the site would be able to sample the chords and the handmade beat the crowd backs him up with.



6. “Midnight Radio” from Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Thanks to a broken guitar, Gordon-Levitt sings this a cappella with the help of hand claps and finger snaps from the crowd. It gives him the chance to really showcase his vocals.



5. “I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon” – from Sesame Street
Not only is this an amazing song, but you get to hear the story about how hitRECord started. Gordon-Levitt explains the song helped him put things into perspective after his brother, Dan, passed away. It’s a touching tribute to the man who helped him throughout his entire life.



4. “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” – Aretha Franklin
Leave it to JGL to cover the Queen of Soul and put a playful and rocking spin on it. The crowd doesn’t seem to recognize the song until the ever popular hook. That’s when the crowd starts to sing a long and make this one of the most memorable musical moment at a hitRECord event.



3. “Lithium” – Nirvana
What’s so awesome about this performance is that he played it in Seattle as a tribute to Kurt Cobain. In fact, he really channels the late musician when he shouts “yeah” over and over. Regular Joe takes time to point out that it doesn’t matter that Cobain has been dead for a decade and a half because “the songs are fucking awesome” and that’s all that matters.



2. “Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga
This was covered at the height of the song’s popularity, which sends the crowd into a sing-along frenzy. Gordon-Levitt even takes time to point out that the song references not one, but three Alfred Hitchcock films (Psycho, Vertigo and Rear Window) for those doubting Gaga’s lyrical ability to drop important pop-culture references. He goes all out for this one. You can really see the passion during the chorus’ nonsense lyrics.



1. “La Valse à Mille Temps” – Jacques Brel
Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing in French can make a woman’s ovaries explode, according to one YouTube commenter. Gordon-Levitt said that song was “about the only city that can rival New York City for me.” The song originally was a traditional Parisian song, but this rendition speeds it up making it more frantic. It’s definitely the most unique of all the songs on this list.



Okay. Off to bed now.
I will bookmark this entry so that I can just watch these videos - for me to dream of him.
*sigh*

He'll make a great friend, I believe. Haha.


He's just so cool.


The years he didn't act, he was concentrating on his band Dead Man's Bones. He was the singer and front runner and would you look at that. He plays the piano. *sigh*


And look at him, as a little boy, holding his own alongside Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez.

And to think I've been a fan since Young Hercules.
Looking forward to more years of Ryan Gosling.