CRIPPLED DOGS demonstrate a NEW DEVOTION for those who have PETS.

I read somewhere about crippled DOGS  …

and how they demonstrate a NEW DEVOTION for owners who have PETS.

LIFE continues on a happy note when someone truly CARES about your welfare. Even if you are crippled or maimed.

May be a stark reminder, but this one is said with depth.

Not only about dogs, but humans need LOVE too, don’t we?

We need to be recognized and appreciated.

Fundamental human needs, dog days, whatever.

Just a welcome pat on the back, a hug so good, a smile so gentle, an acknowledgement so true.

It gives living and loving a new insight.

Try it, folks.

“THE HOST” MOVIE REVIEW. A Full Dose of Pretty Young Things.

“THE HOST” PRESS PREVIEW

Quirky, bewitching, mesmerizing.

These would be the superlatives you may wish to pile upon “THE HOST”.

It’s like a poetic romp into the fairy tale splendor of “ALICE IN WONDERLAND”.

It’s liken to leafing through a VOGUE magazine fashion spread, where every single shot is ultra-perfect and oh-so-beautiful.

In the film, the young actors are draped in the latest colors of fashion, sashaying singly or in a pair, a la catwalk-style, in the middle of a desert.

You have group tete-a-tete, where everyone sits or stands in carefully planned synchronized poses.

You are treated to extraordinary panoramas, beautiful sunsets, fabulous sands, mountain caves and elegant sport cars such as the Lotus Evora zooming showingly, amid sprawling landscapes.

The Director-of-Photography ROBERTO SCHAEFER certainly work wonders to usher you into his world of aesthetics.

And of the film director ANDREW NICCOL?

Focusing on so much beauty, he probably lost his sense of bearing and direction.

“THE HOST” is lauded a dud that has more fluff than buff.

To be devoutly honest, I’ve never truly fancied any of STEPHENIE MEYER novels.

 I am way out of her sphere where her target audience is concerned, despite that she has the whole teen world swooning at her feet following the successes of her gawky “TWILIGHT” vampire romance series.

If  you relish dainty sweetie pies and hunky dreamboats, then you find a swarm of these aplenty in all her movies.

“THE HOST” is STEPHENIE’s classic example that bestows you with a full dose of pretty young things.

It’s a futuristic movie.

We have the Earth dominated by blue-eyed aliens who called themselves Souls, and they are so far succeeding in making the planet a living haven by eradicating cruelty with kindness. Just picture a lovely world with its inhabitants dwelling in harmony.

There’s a snag though.

The Souls would first have to inhabit the human body, killing the original personality in order to execute their plan. Which means the entire human race would face extinction in due course, save for a few defiant groups of rebels.

Melanie (SAOIRSE RONAN) continues to fight for her life even after she’s captured, with her body taken over by a Soul called Wanderer. This is where our story starts.

 We have her involved in  a love triangle with two beguiling young hunks.

And the parable continues as the creator knows it would.

Really.

SMILE and THE WHOLE WORLD SMILES WITH YOU. SMILING is INFECTIOUS.

Hong Kong ACTOR BYRON PANG in a skittish moment with his bosom buddy.

The wide smile exudes straight from his heart.

Ain’t I cute?

Ain’t I pretty?

HEY, I am SMILING !

Ha ha ha !

SMILE AND THE WHOLE WORLD SMILES WITH YOU.

Tra la la !

Smiling is uplifting and is really infectious in this sad, forlorn world.

Wear your best smile this weekend, beam widely at, and with as many people as you come across.

Let every one feel the power, radiance and joy your smile can bring.

You will be surprised that even the mere stranger will smile back at you in surprise.

TRY, pass the happy baton around.

And the world can be a wonderful place.

LESLIE CHEUNG (張國榮). 10 long years passed. This One’s for the Memory.

LESLIE CHEUNG  (張國榮)

NOW, SAY HELLO TO YESTERYEARS.

It had been 10 long years since LESLIE CHEUNG, Hong Kong cantopop singer and award winning actor departed this earth on April 1, 2003.

Yet it appears so like yesterday.

No one can stay forever young and don’t count on it that you are never going to grow old.

This is the path everyone has to trudge, whether you like it or not.

Tarry no more, look around you, hug someone you really care about and tell the person you love him dearly so.

The one you care about may be here today, gone tomorrow. He may not be around waiting for you.

Lest you forget, folks.

This one is for the memory.

LESLIE CHEUNG might have nosedived to his death from the 24th Floor of the MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL in HONG KONG on April 1,2003.

Yet until today, he had left behind many unanswered questions.

Despite relentless coverage by the paparazzi, his private persona had always been shrouded in mystery the way he wanted it.

And right to the present, the world is still gaping in consternation and clueless at his choice of abrupt departure on April Fool’s Day 6 years ago.

1.   Did he intend his hasty retreat from mankind to be a cruel case of life imitating art?

2.   Was he suffering from an incurable disease as some cruel speculations say?

3.   Was he suffering from manic DEPRESSION?

4.  Was it an impending break-up with his boy friend of many years that drove him to this mindless act?

For this ACTOR-cum-SINGER extraordinaire, the secret was buried with him.

LESLIE CHEUNG‘s entertainment career started in 1977 when he wowed the judges at the ASIAN MUSIC COMPETITION organized by RTV(currently know as ATV).

He was Hong Kong’s prettiest boy hunk, a self-declared bisexual and his life mirrored a thousand facades.

He is an ASIAN cinematic legend taken after JAMES DEAN for both the good looks and chameleon moods.

We will always remember the charisma and the angst that he portrayed often in his songs and films.

LESLIE CHEUNG is one powerful, daring and seductive performer who will take your breath away.

An actor’s lot is beseiged with pain and angst,within and without – reel and real.

He also taught us that when you are in this world, everyone is living a role.

No one is what he seems to be.

Not even the closest one next to you.

And that in life, ever individual has a game to play.

There’s always a way out of anything.

Except the past.

That was his vision.

And when you finally realizes the truth, it may change your opinion forever.

WHAT PRICE LIFE?

LIFE isn’t measured in minutes.

It’s the MOMENTS that count.

Count your blessings.

Because whatever you may have today, it may not be around tomorrow.

SO ENJOY THE MOMENTS WHILE YOU MAY.

This 16-year-old girl named RACHEL WILSON, she penned a sad peom to herself. I was all at once stunned by the clarity and realism of  her words:

You said you’be there for me,

But when I really opened up to you,

You just don’t wanna see,

But when I have these thoughts and breakdowns I ring

and you’re never there.

I can’t sleep at night, can’t sleep anymore,

My constant pains, my constant heart sores

all the thoughts of death I have, and suicide,

I tell you about them,

Why do you expect me to  hide?

I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE I COULD TURN TO

WHEN IT GOTTEN TOO MUCH,

Well, you could fool me,

My feelings you don’t wanna touch,

I WILL JUST STAY AWAY,

I GET IT – CRYSTAL CLEAR,

But one day suicide will take over,

Then maybe you will realize my FEAR.

Yah, there’s a stark difference between DEPRESSION and SADNESS.

When you are depressed, you do not feel like being with anybody.

You either sleep more than usual,

Or you can hardly sleep at all.

Your appetite is either non-existent or increases dramatically,

Your energy level goes way down

And you’ve a hopelessness about LIFE …

As difficult as it is,

It is also important that you get out of the house and seek help.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

My mentor, an Executive Film Maker befriendedLESLIE in 1978 in Hong Kong when he was just starting out as  a a rookie.

He remembered visiting LESLIE on set at theRTV‘s when he was filming his first cantonese drama series called DESTINY.

LESLIE was then under the tutelage of K.K. TAM(who was simultaneously managing DANNY CHAN, another Hong Kong singer).

But it was under the ace leadership of FLORENCE CHAN some good years later, that LESLIE‘s career really soared.

The rest is history.

I have downloaded LESLIE CHEUNG‘s rendition of Rita Coolidge’s WE ARE ALL ALONE from YOU TUBE for your listening pleasure here.

Not many of his fans know that LESLIE‘s first record was an album of ENGLISH covers.

And there is a rare gem here, a radio recording of LESLIE CHEUNG being interviewed inENGLISH.

TIME HAS REALLY FLOWN.

AND MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THESE.

LYRICS of ” WE ARE ALL ALONE “:

Outside the rain begins,

And it may never end,

So cry no more, on the shore a dream,

Will take us out to sea,

Forever more, forever more,

Close your eyes and dream

And you can be with me,

‘Neath the waves through the caves of hours,

Long forgotten now,

We’re all alone,

WE’RE ALL ALONE,

Close the window, calm the light,

And it will be all right,

No need to bother now,

Let it out, let it all begin,

Learn how to pretend.

Once a story’s told,

It can’t be but grows old,

Roses do, lovers do,

So cast  your seasons to the wind,

And hold me dear, oh hold me dear,

Close the window,  calm the light,

And it’ll be all right,

No need to bother now,

Let it out, let it all begin,

All’s forgotten now,

We’re all alone,

Oh, WE ARE ALL ALONE.

KILLING US GENTLY WITH HIS SONGS. A Fond Farewell, DANNY CHAN 陈百强. (ReVISITED)

   

“SOMETIMES the STRONGEST among us are the ONES who SMILE through SILENT PAIN, cry behind closed doors, and FIGHT battles nobody knows about.”

This is a tribute to someone I knew, the late DANNY CHAN.

HE sang.

And the entire canto pop world clamored for more.

This is a tribute to DANNY CHAN, HONG KONG pop singer and composer extraordinaire.

DANNY died in 1993, after 13 months in comatose.

It had been widely reported then that DANNY suffered from a depression of sorts, and was hurting badly from psychological loneliness and a sagging career in the later part of his life.

He became a recluse, was manic-depressive and resorted to drugs and alcohol.

As a result, he was found unconscious in his residence one fateful day in 1992, apparently from an accidental overdose.

Whether this one is fact or fiction, the mystery died withDANNY.

Time has really flown as DANNY CHAN had been long gone for 15 long years.

These days, whenever his evergreen hit MY TEARS FLOW FOR YOU is being aired over the radio, memories of DANNY would come flooding back.

A sense of DEJA VU.  Merci.

It’s like some weird kind of resurgence, just like the lyrics from ROBERTA FLACK‘s famous song:

“I  heard him sing a good song,

I heard he had a style,

And so I came to see him,

And listened for a while,

There he was this young boy,

A stranger to my eyes …

Strumming my pain with his fingers,

Singing my life with his words …. “

Killing me softly with his songs….”

I still recall vivid memories of the early 1980s, when I approached DANNY CHAN, then a fledgling singer and a host of other Hong Kong artistes for a charity performance courtesy of the LIONS SOCIETY OF SINGAPORE.

Whilst the Hong Kong artistes are contented to twin-sharing rooms, DANNY peremptorily insisted on a single room just for himself.

Whenever he had a mood swing, which he often did, he would give the P.R. conferences a miss and went swimming in the hotel pool instead.

At that time, I found him to be as self-centered as he was perplexing, and I had to cajole him for at least an one-to-one interview with MICHAEL CHIANG (currenlty editorial consultant with the Singapore MediaCorp 8 Days Magazine), then a journalist, at the Mandarin Singapore’s poolside.

DANNY even requested that I treat him to a VERSACEfashion show staged at the Mandarin Hotel and he wanted to meet DICK LEE because he heard that from grapevine that they both resembled each other.

Frankly, DANNY was relatively unknown in 1981. But on that night of the charity performance at the now defunct SINGAPORE NATIONAL THEATRE, I was startled by his powerful vocals when he belted out his hitMY TEARS FLOW FOR YOU.

Now it’s as though time has really stood still.

DANNY CHAN‘s soulful evergreens will always remain as a heritage with his fans, invoking a deep sense of loss in many of us, of  a great talent that has passed on.

Were I really friends with DANNY?  I am clueless.

Eons ago, when DANNY was still around and whenever I was in Hong Kong for project meetings, we would make a point to meet for afternoon teas. Our usual tete-a tete rendezvous was at the Chatterbox Coffee Shop at theMANDARIN HOTEL.

DANNY was the effervescent good looker who loved to mingle with the socialites and the fashionistas and it was not uncommon for our chats to be interrupted by a beautiful “someone” who would just come hither with a “wooo…how are you and what have you been doing lately? That’s a nice really striking shirt you are wearing…and…”

Hug, more hugs, smooches …

Boleh tahan, tak?

DANNY loved to be complimented as a hip haute trendsetter, for his fine dressing.

His pretty boy features made him look good in anything he threw on, including those slick jackets of his – be it worn-in leather, black blazer or safari style.  His looks are always stylish, never less.

He was a veteran of style, be it funky, edgy or flamboyant.

The biggest problem with DANNY CHAN was his moods.

On some days when I ran straight into him at theREGENT Hong Kong, he would “feign” the I-don’t-know-you routine and breezed pass me without even a simple hello.

Ignorance was bliss then.

Then when I sought to give him back a dose of his own discipline, as I was rushing back to my hotel on NATHAN ROAD, he would cross over to say “hello” to me with a curt “Hi, so you are in town? Let’s have tea tomorrow at the old place, OK?”

It was really exasperating to play the “mind-set” with this man.

I remembered fervently that DANNY had a penchant for the LONDON scene and he always wanted to make an annual “pilgrimage” there .  I did not know his reasons and I never asked.

But I had an intense dislike for his then manager, an obnoxious albeit pretentious man called K.K. TAM.

K.K. TAM was rude and arrogant, and extremely tactless in his dealings.

And wow, he was lucky in the 80s to have 3 extremely popular talents under his artiste management belt.

They were DANNY CHAN, LESLIE CHEUNG and PAUL CHEONG.

As FATE would have it, all these three artistes succumbed to suicides, under mysterious circumstances.

It’s something still baffling to this day.

But nonetheless true.

As I have said, life moves in strange circles.

It’s either you believe this one or not.

“THE CALL” Movie Review. Be Warned that it’s One Hell of a Horrific Ride.

“THE CALL”  PRESS PREVIEW

Nail biting suspense, anyone?

Here’s another tour de force this week, specially crafted for true blue fans of pulse-pounding thrillers.

 This one should not disappoint.

 Film director BRAD ANDERSON blazes the trail with “THE CALL”, his latest pulsating suspense offering.

 It’s everything a scary feature should be, utterly gripping and brutally shocking, a la Alfred Hitchcock stylized whodunit.

 This diabolical tale of twisted suspense and macabre payback will have you taken for a precarious drive, gasping and guessing all the way, as to whether the victim is going to survive or die.

 HALLE BERRY and ABIGAIL BRESLIN dominate in this gritty tale that begins with a screamish 911 plea for help from a frightened teenage girl who’s been trapped in the trunk of a moving car.

 HALLE BERRY stars as Jordan, a 911 call operator who’s in a deadly race against the time, to trace the victim: a girl who has been kidnapped by a serial killer.

 Jordan soon realizes that the kidnapper is the same man who had killed another young woman whose emergency call she had answered six months before, a girl whose ultimate death Jordan still feels responsible for.

 Excellent performances from an all star cast.

HALLE BERRY as Jordan and ABIGAIL BRESLIN  (Casey) pitch in pushing-to-the- edge acting admirably. Even MICHAEL EKLUND who plays Michael, the psychotic predator with a glazed look makes it seems so real.

There’s nothing new in bits here and cliches there, as you’d have seen these highlighted in other features.

But all things being equal, it is the film director’s execution that’s two thumbs up.

“THE CALL” is a high voltage thriller, clever, gripping and intense with shocking gravity.

But you have to gear up your suspension-of-disbelief mode when you witness Jordan, unarmed and so alone, entering a creepy cabin and later a derelict basement to check out the rogue.

Wanna take this ride?

It may be a ride of pure terror, but go for it, as you are guaranteed a jolly horrific time.