Bravo Jessica Sanchez aka Bebe Chez!!

16-year old Filipino-Mexican Jessica Sanchez aka Bebe Chez is American Idol's Season 11's Number Two. I'm having goosebumps all over as I'm watching her finale with Tony award winning actress Jennifer Holiday singing "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going" (Dreamgirls, 1982 billboard R&B hit).

According to the reports, as early as April, international R&B artist and record producer Akon said that he can't wait for Jessica to be eliminated so he can offer her a record deal.  He told E! news in Miam "I know I shouldn't be saying this, but I kind of want her to get voted off so I can sign her.. she's beyond the talent that's supposed to be there, I think she's overqualified, I really do." Akon who is ranked #9 in Forbes Hip-Hop Top 20 earners signed Lady Gaga in 2008 under his label KonLive.

However, as of today, rumors are abuzzing that Jesicca may sign with Casablanca Records owner Tommy Mottola who incidentally managed Idol judge, Jenifer Lopez in the early 2000s. When MTV asked Sanchez to confirm she said "Right now, I don't know what to expect. I've been in the "Idol" bubble, and now it's popped, and I don't know's going to happen. I don't know what's going to be thrown at me, but I'm excited to find out." Well, Motolla's Mexican wife Thalia revealed the deal through twitter: 

WOWgreat news! #TommyMottola just call me from #AmericanIdol& he is confirm to work in the first #JessicaSanchez CD!#MexicanFilipinoPower

Photos sourced from the Internet

So, what's in store for Bebe Chez?  I guess with Motolla (or maybe Akon) backing her, she will make it big, BIG time in the industry like all the other non-idol winners in the past. Starting with my fave Season 3's #7 Oscar and Grammy winner Jenifer Hudson, Season 5's #4 Chris Daughtry, Season 8's #4 Adam Lambert who was nominated a Grammy for best male pop vocal performance in 2010 and Season 2's #2 Clay Aiken who co-wrote a New York Times best selling book Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life.

Good luck girl!! You make us proud!!

Going Gaga over Born this Way Tour in Manila

Critics missed Lady Gaga wrapping the flag around her face

Amid calls by religious organizations to cancel Lady Gaga's concert, her two-day Born This Way Ball Tour  in the newly built 20,000-seater Mall of Asia Arena was sold out despite the pricey tickets.

The protesters accused her of 'symbolizing everything that is corrupt and demonic'. Well, 26-year old Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta a.k.a Lady Gaga is definitely far from being demonic, she is believe it or not honest, modest and quite charming!

This college drop out (like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates), started her career in 2007 as a songwriter and in 2008 became famous for her debut album The Fame. Since then she has sold 23 million albums and 64 million singles worldwide and received five Grammy Awards and 13 MTV Video Music Awards.

Lady Gaga in her infamous meat dress

Frankly, after watching last night's performance, this pop diva actually strikes me more of an activist, a crusader campaigning against bullying, against gay discrimination and even against the treatment of women as 'a piece of meat'.

She dedicated Hair to "... all those kids  who take their lives when they're so young because they feel bullied, or they're afraid because they're gay and they don't want to tell anybody... what I don't respect is homophobia and hatred.. I reject intolerance to the gay community."

Her message to all the little monsters last night was simply about acceptance and self confidence, to be proud of who you are. She said "I know that everybody.. thinks that I stand for... really inappropriate things that are really bad for.. ... The truth is, I want the best for every single one of you. I love you with all of my heart and all my soul.. and all the things that I think about and the way that I am, it's my lifestyle, it's just part of this one big giant performance art statement of liberation. So, I hope that you feel tonight as free as your hair. And to those of you that don't feel free, take the best opportunity to free yourselves."

From the lyrics of Born this Way: Don't hide yourself in regret, just love yourself and you're set, I'm on the right track baby, I'm born this way. 

Lady Gaga's set list in Manila:

For her opening act Highway Unicorn, she came out on horseback clad in a horned headpiece

Government Hooker
She wowed the little monsters by donning a yellow terno (Philippine national costume) in Born this Way

Black Jesus + Amen
In a towering white outfit singing Bloody Mary

Bad romance

Alas, the battery of my phone ran out.. so I'm just sending the youtube links below. :-)
Judas

Fashion of his Love
Just Dance
Love Game
Heavy Metal Lover
Bad Kids
Telephone
Hair
You and I
Electric Chapel
Americano
Poker Face
Alejandro
Sheiße
Paparazzzi
Edge of Glory
Marry the Night

Oops I did it again.. lower back pain

Honestly, I don't remember when I last hurt my back.  It was an awful feeling waking up last Saturday not being able to move. I met up with a friend later during the day who offered some muscle relaxant which I hesitatingly took and insisted that I see a doctor if the pain doesn't go away.

Well, the pain worsened and the first thing I did yesterday was to hobble to Intercare to get some kind of relief. Luckily, the rehab doctor Dra. Annie Dizon was there to attend to me. She ruled out sciatica, pinch nerve and said that the cause was muscle-related. She also mentioned that I had the same issue as early as 2007.   (Note: I now love medical records!) Specifically,  she diagnosed left lumbar strain and sacroiliac joint dysfunction:

Since the pain was unbearable, Dra. Dizon recommended that I undergo daily treatment consisting of Physical Therapy (i.e. hot packs, light massage, ultrasound with tense and stretch), myofasial therapy (deep tissue massage) and chiropractic treatment with Dr. Martin Camara. She said that the cause may be attributed to stress, improper bending or lifting and even poor posture.

I did a postural alignment test, actually a video of my spine was taken using the Kinesio Capture, an iPad app. As shown in the video below, the result indicated that my spine is off a few degrees in certain portions of my body. One of the doctors of Intercare pointed out that the misalignment may be causing the muscle strain and tension and thus, over time triggered the lower back pain. He added that good posture and chiropractic treatment may help relieve the tension in the low back area.

The axiom health is wealth is a popular cliché but after this week's bill plus next week's (unfortunately, Intercare is not covered by my insurance policy), it is best to take this dictum to heart. Prevention is the key to good health. After this week's experience, I made a list of resolutions that will prevent such hiccups  and let me go on doing the things I love to do.

All taped up

Here's my list of resolutions: (1) Because core muscles support the spine, focus on core stabilization and strengthening exercises; (2)  Always stretch especially the hamstrings and piriformis - i.e. after work out, sitting for a prolonged period of time, and before sleeping;  (3)  Book a massage at least once a week (preferably, myofasial release); (4) Lift objects properly by bending knees (hmm.. I have to check with Miggy though regarding  dead lifts); (5) And lastly, apply kinesio tape (left) to support the strained areas - back, legs, shoulder.

Since it's Buddha's birthday this week, let me end with a quote from him To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.

Bravo Emong Borlongan and Plet Bolipata!!

Plet's Le Boudoir Rouge Love Seat and Emong's Escape Artist

When the Earth Smelled of Water is husband and wife team Emong Borlongan and Plet Bolipata's latest show at the Alliance Francaise de Manille. The two have been married for the last twenty years and hied off in Zambales where they actually met.

Most of Emong's artworks depict life in the fishing village of San Antonio while Plet's works are totally new. Well, I haven't seen these seats before.  They are functional sculpture sofa pieces made out of resin, crochet, steel and even broken glass.

Note that she used the same mold for her ongoing show at Bonifacio Global City's offsite gallery called imagiNATION. It is an outdoor installation featuring 7 to 12-foot animal sculptures.

Emong's Dynamite Kid

Here's what Rene Guatio wrote about the couple's latest project:

Based in San Antonio, Zambales, in a seaside mango orchard and art center, the artist couple Elmer Borlongan and Plet Bolipata bring their visions of creation, their celebrations of life to the city: colorful canvases imbued with the refreshing and life-giving blessings of the sea and water, resin vessels that allude to the ark, and the great deluge that drowned the earth, so that life may be renewed.

Emong's Melancholia

Emong highlights various scenes - a 'chicken fight' in the water, a child drawing water from a well, fishermen with their nets, an escape artist in a water container, a woman wading into the ocean, a scene of melancholy in a bath tub - each an allusion to water and the sea, reflecting the artist's signature humor, wit, and deep understanding of the human character. He says: "We are drawn to water because we live close to the sea."

Plet's Le Taxi Sofa

Plet always injects a fresh and playful sensibility to her art, which includes oils, collages, naif figures, and lately, colorful mosaics of animals. Her metal and tile mosaics of zoo animals about to be installed at Global City are complemented by the resin sofas in this show that were inspired by Holly Golightly's bathtub sofa from Breakfast at Tiffany's. 


 The sofas represent vessels that save us from the deluge, their colors reminding us of the rainbow that symbolizes God's promise, and our hope. She hopes that people "can relax as the stresses and strains of their daily lives subside, and take the time to enjoy and appreciate the preciousness of life."



Bravo Plet and Emong! The show will run until May 3, 2012.

With artist Plet setaing on her Le Peacock Sofa

Here's some shots of Plet's gigantic steel animal sculptures at the offsite gallery in Bonifacio Global City, 26th Street corner 7th Ave:

Sculptures all lit up!

Detail of seat of Les Elephants

Detail of seat of Les Octopus