Music Break: Just a Love Song and Beautiful in my Eyes

Okay, I admit, I have a soft spot for ballads and love songs. But I have strict standards as to how sappy it has to be. Boyband ballads are disgusting and I wouldn't go anywhere near them. For the most part, remakes of past hits are acceptable, since they build on an already successful foundation—i.e. they're already good to begin with.

Christian Bautista, a Filipino singer and a good friend, released an album last year called "Just a Love Song...Live!" and it contained these two songs. Both—well, I'll give him this because he rendered them so well—are remakes, and actually I don't mind.

Simple lyrics, soothing melodies, and both registering low in the too-sappy scale. My favorite of the two is "Beautiful in my Eyes." I got choked up a bit the first time I heard it. Seriously.

Kids are Adorable

They really are...and they're making quite a sensation in YouTube. Gotta love the British accent on them!

What's Dhalsim...Oh!

Both the commercial and the toy line sucked on so many levels I'm embarrassed to admit I bought the Ryu and Ken action figures.

I mean, jesus, katanas for Ryu? And a vehicle for Chun-Li and Blanka? And real ninja moves? Ninjas. Really?

Horrible, cheesy, dialogue. It's close to camp territory for me.

On November 4th, Go Out and Vote

I'm voting because I want change. I'm voting because I know I matter.

Music Break:Day Break

I'm almost done with my Stylista post. Will have it here by tomorrow.

For now, a song that I've been playing over and over again. Really fantastic, and performed by an obviously talented artist. If you've been following my blog, you'll know who I'm talking about.

Gouken Lives! And I’m Not Sure if I’m Happy

Time for some video game blog-entary.

Refresher: Gouken (erroneously named Sheng Long Stateside—there’s no such character!) is the brother of Gouki (Akuma), son of Goutetsu (no U.S. name), and Ryu and Ken’s master. The official canon is that during the events of Street Fighter 1, while Ryu is competing in the tournament, Gouki came in to the dojo and challenged Gouken to a fight. According to Tiamat’s excellent SF plot guide, Ken witnessed part of the match, and saw his master get killed in Gouki’s hands. Gouken’s remains are buried near the Suzaku Castle (Ryu’s stage in a good number of Street Fighter games).

Now Street Fighter 4 comes along, an interquel between SF2 and SF3, and for some reason thought of reviving Gouken. Is Yoshinori Ono (the producer of the game) pulling all the stops to give SF4 the massive success that SF2 received during its time that he’s throwing everything but the kitchen sink in this game? I don’t know. But as it is, this is one—and probably just one of the few—addition to SF4 that I have mixed feelings about.

First, the good: EGM can no longer run an April Fool’s joke involving Gouken!

In terms of gameplay, Gouken moves a little differently compared to Ryu, Ken, even Gouki, preventing him from being just another Shoto-clone. (By the way, they practice Ansatsuken and not Shotokan Karate.) For one, he throws his fireballs with just one hand. His Tatsumaki Senpuu-Kyaku doesn’t go forward, but instead moves vertically. (The EX version of the same move behaves like Gouki’s Messatsu Gourasen Super Art.) His Saving Attack is the Joudan Soukotu Geri (Ryu’s new move in SF3), and his Ultra Combo is the Shin Shoryuken.

He’s actually quite badass from the videos that I’ve seen in YouTube. Sure, he doesn’t suffer from the SNK boss syndrome but he nevertheless appears that he hits hard.

Now, the bad. For what they’re worth, I follow canon of every video game I play. For instance, I know about the Highbornes of Warcraft, and the events that lead to the Night and High Elves living in separate worlds. I also know that M. Bison is actually inhabiting Rose’s body in SF2.

Resurrecting Gouken after the events of two series have transpired (SF Alpha and SF2) seriously messes up with the established canon. Did he rise from the grave? Why the heck would he keep his being alive secret from Ryu and Ken, who saw him as a father figure (especially Ryu—damn it, he’s a freaking orphan) after all these years? Will Gouki attempt to kill his brother once again, this time with a move that isn’t the Shun Goku Satsu? So many questions.

I’ll have to wait until Capcom releases its official retcon to see how they plan to merge the now-alive Gouken to the running canon, and fix the plot holes that this created. For now, I can’t wait to play him in the home version of SF4.

"Angels" Medley

I promise this will be the last Brad Bass, Adam Fleming, or Bobby Cronin video link I'll post for this month. The mix of songs is just so superb--and Mr. Bass did the songs justice--it deserves to be propagated.




On a side note, this is also for those who lost their lives and those left behind to heal during the tragic events that happened in September 11th.

EDIT: To those who asked me what songs Brad Bass sung, here they are in order: "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan, "Angels" by Robbie Williams, "Reach the Sky" by Bobby Cronin, and "Defying Gravity" by Stephen Schwartz (one of the songs in the Wicked! musical).

Reach for the Sky

It's official: I'm a Bobby Cronin fan. Brad Bass gives an inspiring performance of Cronin's "Reach for the Sky." Some lines can be a little granola and maybe corny, but when the showmanship is this great, you tend to forgive and excuse them.




Is anything ever the way they seem?
Is life just a passing of wasted dreams?
I don't know, I can't tell
Why the hell do I dwell?
One thing's flawlessly well
Yes, I try to get by
Without discovering why

Hold on everything's going too far
Cast off, it's how I feel
Let go, everything is like I'm on hold
Although I wish I could fly
One day I will fly

Is anyone ever the way they seem?
Is life just a hoax or a broken dream?
I don't know, I'm not sure
Open the door, what's in store?
Inside I know there's more
But then why do I try?
Not to let life whisk by

Slow down everything's going too fast
Run down, it's how I feel
Let go, everything is like I'm on hold
Although I think I can fly
I'm ready to fly high

I know I can reach the sky
And if I crash
I'll swim through life's changing tides
I know I will triumph fast
And I'll walk tall
I'll walk with a perfect stride, for the pride
Feeling alive, knowing I tried, knowing I could, knowing I'm good
My centric life is better than it seems
My life will not befall a wasted dream
Now I know I can see
Look my way I am free
I am finally free
I will not be that guy who lets his life whisk by

I know I can reach the sky
And if I crash
I'll swim through life's changing tides
I know I will triumph fast
And I'll walk tall
I'll walk with a perfect stride, for the pride
Now I'm alive, yes I'll try,
Yes I should, yes I'm good, yes I am, yes I can
I can, I know I can fly

Welcome to my life 4x

[Renditions vary from performer to performer, this one is specifically for Bass's. But I opted to change "I know I will drown fast" with "I know I will triumph fast" because it fits better with the rest of the lyrics.]

Magic Kingdom Ride Review: The Haunted Mansion

(I apologize I didn't get to follow-up on my Disney Hollywood Studios post! I kind of lost interest. But don't worry, there will be future theme park coverages.)

The Haunted Mansion – My favorite ride in the park, in fact, I think this is my favorite ride in the entirety of Walt Disney World, just because the presentation, effects, and experience are all in sync you never tire of riding—and falling in line again and again—the Haunted Mansion.

There are two pre-show “creeps” in the Haunted Mansion, the first one in the fireplace, where you see a portrait of a middle-aged man. While hearing a creepy monologue from Paul Frees about circumstances when ghosts are around, you see the face in the portrait change from a normal human being to a creepy skeleton. This video captures the mood perfectly:

Second pre-show is the stretching room. First you see four portraits of former guests in their “corruptible, mortal states.” Paul Frees introduces himself as your host, your Ghost Host (creepy AND sets the mood awesomely.) Then something happens—the portraits seem to expand, and the room with it. Is it just your imagination? Or are there supernatural, ghostly forces to blame? Eventually, you see the fate of your Ghost Host, and you’re ushered to your Doom Buggies—the vehicles that will bring you to the world beyond that of mortal men.

Check this video out to get a feel of these 2 pre-show creeps.




Once a cast member ushers you into your own Doom Buggy—the Haunted Mansion version of the omnimover system, the magic of Disney animatronics, plus a few special effects equals an eight-minute experience.

The first part of the ride doesn’t show you ghosts or ghouls, instead, you see paintings that seem to change when lightning illuminates them. A woman’s portrait becomes Medusa, a Napoleon-inspired masterpiece transforms to his skeletal self, a ship becomes a ghostly viking ship, and another woman posing seductively curiously looks like a cat-woman (or Jaguar-woman, whichever feline is better).

Then you’re brought to the library, where ghost writers and their ghost stories chose to reside. Their heads seem to follow the direction where you’re going. And you hear the stair lift creek as if someone’s atop, but you don’t see anything.

Who knew that this was actually a rest house even for humans? But in here, you play by the Ghost host’s rules. And unfortunately, the guests haven’t had much luck with escaping this ghoulish mansion. You’ll hear clacking doors, door knobs that won’t budge, and coffins that won’t open.

Next, you come face to face with Madame Leota herself. As your Ghost Host admits, she has a remarkable head for materializing the disembodied. For a few seconds, she’ll chant and invoke spirits to join you in your journey to the world beyond. You’ll hear tambourines sound and bells ring as each of her creepy incantations are made manifest.

Your Ghost Host will leave you for a while, because he’s going to meet his friends that are no longer, well, of this world. You’ll see a vast ballroom where a huge group of ghosts gather, mingle, dance, and drink (that is, if they have stomachs that can digest them). This is the single coolest highlight of the entire ride. Who knew that clever placements of the Pepper’s Ghost effect could produce such an amazing vision?

The attic scene comes next, where you’ll find several In Memoriams of someone who curiously looks like the same woman. Ooohh...psycho killer anyone? Turns out, she’s a ghost, too. And she’s looking for her next husband-that-was.

Finally, no visit to the supernatural realm is ever complete without a journey to where the departed are put to rest: The graveyard. Interestingly enough, your presence stirred them up and have made them quite an excited bunch. Be prepared to be sang at!

Before you leave, the Ghost Host has a parting gift for you: A ghostly companion that will follow you home. And with it, ends the 10-minute awesomeness that is the Haunted Mansion.

Truthfully, it’s more fun and entertaining than it is ghastly and spooky, but kids might get freaked out since the ride happens in the dark. I recommend repeat ridings just so you can fully appreciate how well-designed, thought-out, and well-executed this ride is. It’s perfect, too, as an inspiration point for this coming Halloween. (A ghostly bride that will scare a few of the kids who go trick-or-treating?) 10/10

If you won't be in Florida anytime soon, here's a complete ride-through. Enjoy!

Til Death Do Us Part

And here's a very sweet one that will sound great as a wedding song.

It's lovely because it talks about how awkward expressing one's feelings towards another is.

B.R.A.T.T. Camp Music

In the post prior to this, I posted a YouTube video of one of the songs performed in Bobby Cronin's musical, B.R.A.T.T. Camp. I haven't seen it myself, but I found the songs catchy.

This one has been enjoying repeat iTunes play on my iBook, much like Welcome to My Life. Enjoy!

Welcome to My Life

I fondly remember a project I had to painfully endure in high school, for music class. Well, each one of us had to sing in front of everyone, with a song of our choice. Our grade was based on not just vocal prowess (which meant us guys with a less-than-appealing music box stuck in our throats already were in trouble) but on—curiously enough—showmanship. Meaning, you can suck at the singing part, but if you gesticulate wildly and act like it's a one-man show on Broadway, you can still walk away with an A.

I had delusions of grandeur, say the least, and opted for a mellow ballad, you know, so I could finish the song without my voice grating. The "What were you thinking?" moment came when instead of bringing in prerecorded music—which is what 95 percent of the class did—I chose to learn its chords on a freaking organ.

Note, before that project came into our laps, I had no idea how to play the organ, nor did I care enough to give it a try. My rehearsal was very mechanical, as if I'm memorizing Mathematical formulas (okay, this part, your fingers should be this way and touching this, this, and this key) because it was the best way I know how to learn to play without having to go through the basics. So when I eventually memorized the final set of notes for the very last word, I thought I was set.

But life being life, it never is that simple.

Let's just say that come "performance" time, I choked, panicked, forgot the lines, and worst, it was painfully obvious that I had no clue how to play an organ—and the people seated in the front row of the class knew and understood that fact all too well. I barely made it with a passing C grade.

After that fateful day, I squashed all hopes of learning to play a musical instrument; and vowed never to let my delusions of actually singing for an audience get the better of me.

If I would be given the chance to do it again, however, I would gladly sing the main lead's part in this video. But instead, I'll just have somebody else provide the music, and use the recorded material for the girl's part.

Warning: Lyrics contain profanity and adult subjects.