The 2002 Miss Universe pageant was broadcast via RPN-9 starting a little past eight this morning. The contest wrapped up just a tad before two in the afternoon.

The sponsors’ advertisements constituted roughly four-fifths of the entire broadcast period, and that is being conservative in estimating.

My uncle and I had practically the same bets for the crown. In no particular order: China, Russia and Venezuela. Not bad, considering all three of them made it to the Final Five.

Personally, what I liked most about the whole, tedious-to-watch show was the “Determining” question, the one that has to be answered by all the finalists: What makes you blush?

Simple, but it makes a person stop and think.

Here are the results:

Miss Universe: Russia (also Best in Swimwear)
Runner-ups
First: Panama
Second: China (also Best in Evening Gown)
Third: South Africa
Fourth: Venezuela

The rest of the Top Ten
Albania
Germany
Cyprus
India
Canada

Special Awards
Most Photogenic: Puerto Rico
Miss Congeniality: US Virgin Islands

In other news, my father bought me a brand-new, glittering Nokia 3310. I now have the same unit as my mother.

To honor this gift, I downloaded three new ringtones and proudly made Obi-Wan Kenobi as my operator logo.

I will be watching GMA Network‘s one-hour Text Tube party in a little while.

It is an interactive show that airs music videos and anime episodes and has viewer/texter polls and a text-in chat room. Very cool and fun.

I got into the whole thing because they started airing Goo Goo Dolls and Linkin Park videos.

Text Tube also offers variety, from Filipino death metal acts to Britney Spears. Last week they aired two episodes of Lupin III in just one show.

For all Pinoyz who are into Text Tube, you can find me there as DarthShirley. Lovely nick, is it not?

The Alaska Aces lost to the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs in Game Seven of the Finals of the PBA Samsung Governors Cup.

Purefoods piled on the points as early as the First Quarter, with their lead going up to as high as 16 points. Late in the Third Quarter, the Aces attempted to play catch-up, narrowing the advantage to seven points, but that was the closest they ever got to the Hotdogs.

Thus, Purefoods capped the 2002 Governors Cup championship via an impressive Game Seven defeat dealt on the Aces.

The Game Seven record of Alaska was previously 3-1, but now it has been marred with yet another loss at 3-2. Purefoods, which has never before won a Game Seven with a 0-3 win-loss card, has now upped its record with a 1-3 slate.

There are two more conferences coming up, the Commissioner’s Cup and the All-Filipino Cup. I am certain Alaska will finally bring home the bacon for this Season in any or maybe even both of these.

Wala pa ring tatalo sa Alaska!

My beloved Alaska Aces managed to force a Sudden Death Game Seven against the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs for the Philippine Basketball Association‘s Samsung Governors Cup.

Rodney Santos started for the team as he had in Games One and Two of the Finals series and got to pile on the slasher points early in the game. He was, naturally, declared the match’s Best Player.

Don Allado played on a sprained ankle but he was still awesome with the rebounds, assists and power play in the paint. He even managed to put in a slam dunk. I just hope he still gets to play in Game Seven, which will be held this Sunday.

The Purefoods TJ Hotdogs are on a roll, in more ways than one. They lorded it over the Alaska Aces for the third straight time in Game Five of the PBA Samsung Governors’ Cup Finals held earlier tonight.

Alaska had a six-point lead going into the Second Quarter, but from there on it was Purefoods all the way. Sometime during the Third Quarter, the TJ Hotdogs’ lead went to as high as 19 points.

If Purefoods wins Game Six on Thursday, they shall get the Cup and team head brain Ryan Gregorio, 25, will go down in PBA history as the third youngest coach to lead his team to a championship. I, rather inexplicably, find this entire set-up saddening. Gah.

The victories in the 2002 PBA Samsung Governors Cup are now two apiece for the Alaska Aces and the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs.

With this deadlock of sorts, the Best of Seven Finals series has been reduced to a do-or-die Best of Three. Game Five will take place tomorrow, to be followed by Game Six on Thursday.

If still necessary, Game Seven is slated on Sunday. However, if one of the two teams sweeps the next two games, then it is the much-coveted Championship for them come the close of Game Six.

Game Four was painful. Alaska had a six-point lead going into the Third Quarter but their defense collapsed against the valiant Second Half efforts of Purefoods import Derek Brown and young local Richard Yap.

Apparently, Purefoods was very much inspired and fired up by the pre-game conference hullabaloo, wherein Brown was awarded Best Import of the Conference while Purefoods forward Rey Evangelista was given the Best Player of the Conference honors.

Don Allado was also running for the latter award but, unfortunately, he was not able to amass enough statistical points during the Eliminations of this present Conference.

However, with Ali Peek’s probable return off his stint in the Philippine team, Don’s playing time might be cut down a bit or some such.

We shall see.

I am glad I was not able to watch the Alaska Aces play last night.

In their third game against the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs for the PBA Governors Cup, they broke their four-game winning streak since the Semis and lost touch in the endgame.

However, all is not lost. The Aces still have a one-game edge over the Hotdogs. They likewise get a two-day break from the games, as they will be playing Game Four on Sunday. There is enough time to recuperate, rethink their strategies and find more variations for their Triangle Offense that would hopefully prove more than a match for the Purefoods defense.

My fingers are crossed for the Aces’ victory.

Wala pa ring tatalo sa Alaska!

I was able to watch Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones on its first day in Iloilo City theatres.

In fact, I just got home from watching it at SM City. I had a movie dinner, one of my favorite indulgences of late.

The movie did not disappoint. It had solid characters and good plot flow, with some of the most stunning computer-generated effects that I have ever come across on the silver screen.

I particularly loved the new pixel incarnation of Jedi Master Yoda, who could very well take on Jet Li, Neo, Spider-Man or anyone out there who could do the Matrix-like mid-air stunts. The movie likewise gave the Jedi Order the recognition it deserves. If the Jedi Knights do exist, I would very much like to join them, especially if I get awesome teachers like Yoda, Mace Windu, and, of course, Obi-wan Kenobi.

Hayden Christensen was a very good choice for the future Darth Vader. He has the right innate pagnanasa for it. The look in his eyes moments after his mother Shmi died in his arms was already a foreshadowing of darker things to come.

Ewan McGregor‘s Obi-wan Kenobi, whom I expected to burst into song anytime, was my favorite character. He had the right gruffness, the tempered power and wisdom, of a paternal mentor figure. Samuel L. Jackson‘s Mace Windu also had the charisma to take over the scene and radiate leadership and strength.

Clones was a good prequel, and one could already spot some aspects that would soon take bigger roles in the Star Wars saga. Among these are the rise to power of the then-Chancellor Palpatine, the formation of the Stormtrooper Army, the growing vengeance of the young Boba Fett, and the early designs of the Death Star ship, among many others.

The one thing I personally found most amusing about the whole movie was the presence of Christopher Lee, who played the Separatist/Federation leader Count Dooku. It is very well known that he also played the traitorous Saruman in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. His dialogue with the captive Obi-wan in Clones and the defeated Gandalf in Fellowship of the Ring went along similar lines.

It sort of goes like this: “Join me, Obi-wan (Gandalf), and together we will destroy the Sith (rule Middle Earth).”

In both instances his invitation was refused, too.

Here is the movie summary from Amazon.com:

If The Phantom Menace was the setup, then Attack of the Clones is the plot-progressing payoff, and devoted Star Wars fans are sure to be enthralled.

Ten years after Episode I, Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), now a senator, resists the creation of a Republic Army to combat an evil separatist movement. The brooding Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is resentful of his stern Jedi mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), tormented by personal loss, and showing his emerging “dark side” while protecting his new love, Amidala, from would-be assassins.

Youthful romance and solemn portent foreshadow the events of the original Star Wars as Count Dooku (a.k.a. Darth Tyranus, played by Christopher Lee) forges an alliance with the Dark Lord of the Sith.

My much-adored Alaska Aces won Game Two of the PBA Governors Cup Finals.

Two more wins and it is the Championship for them, after a few years’ Cup drought.

Yesterday’s game went into Double Overtime. The extensions caused the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs‘ downfall, because it was apparent that they did not have the raw determination to survive the long, harrowing minutes that constituted the endgame. The youthful, raring-to-go Alaska was up to the extra mile that the Double Overtime demanded.

Alaska’s win could be attributed to the significant contributions of imports Ron Riley and James Head and key locals John Arigo and Don Allado. The score was 106-102.

The Alaska Aces won Game One of the Best of Seven Finals series of the PBA Samsung Governors Cup against Purefoods in yesterday’s double-header at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Aces had an amazing rally, with dashing steals and very graceful completed for-foul plays, during the closing minutes of the game. Import James Head showed the makings of a true professional sportsman. He fumbled in several plays during the early parts of the second half by missing several easy, key shots but he made up for these by delivering a good number of points off turnovers. It was no surprise, of course, that he was named Player of the Game.

Filipino-American John Arigo, THE prettiest, also pulled off a stunning consistent performance all throughout the game, the highlights of which were several lightning-quick drives and three-point shots. He was backed up by the ever-growing stability of Brian Gahol and Don Allado in the paint.

In the game preceding this Finals highlight, the Coca-Cola Panthers beat the San Miguel Beermen in a one-shot match for Third Place.

Rosanna Roces, or Osang to her die-hard fans, won the Best Actress plum in the recently-concluded Urian Awards, for the Chito Rono movie La Vida Rosa.

She tied for the honor with Assunta de Rossi (Hubog). However, Assunta had already won other awards for her work in this film. This is Osang’s first plum in the dramatic genre.

Rosanna was not given the honor long overdue to her prowess as an acting lead in two previous stunning performances, Ligaya ang Itawag Mo sa Akin (Call Me Joy) and Babae sa Bintana (Woman at the Window).

It is about time that Urian, arguably the most prestigious of all Philippine cinema’s award-giving bodies, has decided to take notice and give recognition to her talent and skill.

I am very delighted at this. Osang has proven that a Filipino actress can break out of the TF (Titillating Film) mold and prove that she has serious on-screen mettle.

However, this year’s Urian was almost swept by the awakening-to-one’s-roots film shot in the United States, Batang West Side. It is a bittersweet dramatic coup, as against the rougher realism in La Vida Rosa.

Batang West Side won Best Picture and Best Director, with stars Joel Torre and Gloria Diaz capping the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress plums respectively.

The Finals of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governor’s Cup will start on Sunday, 12 May. It is to be played between the Alaska Aces and Purefoods TJ Hotdogs.

Tonight, Purefoods beat Coca-Cola in the deciding game of their Best-of-Five Semi-Finals series. This was followed by Alaska’s victory over the San Miguel Beermen in a game of similar standing.

Alaska’s bid to return to the Finals after several conferences’ drought is at last being realized. It is good to see that the team is starting to gel together, combining the experience and grace-under-pressure wisdom of its veterans with the enthusiasm and vigor of its younger players. Perhaps the return of Jojo Lastimosa to once more lead his “home” team to get the Championship Ring has proven to be a great statistical intangible.

It is also very gratifying to see Alaska beat the Beermen. San Miguel has qualified for the Finals in six out of the last nine Conferences in the PBA. They have likewise encountered Alaska in several Semis series but have always won. Well, it seems that now the tables have turned and Milk has proven its supremacy over Beer.

I hope the Alaska locals will each continue to contribute their unique touches in both offense and defense in the the upcoming Best-of-Seven Finals series.

I am also rooting for team imports Ron Riley, our token Patrick Ewing dead-ringer, and James Head, who have really risen to the occasion tonight after several bad fumbles in the early quarters, surpassing hype and transcending the functions of their court positions.

Spider-Man was simply, forgive a ridiculously overused adjective, amazing.

Hollywood.com could not have put it any better when their review said that the film was delivered with aplomb. It gave admirable tribute to one of the most beloved superheroes and long-lasting series in comicdom.

The choice of Tobey Maguire for the lead role was perfect. His portrayal of the title character possessed the vulnerability, chutzpah and fortitude that made a very lovable geek superhero out of Peter Parker. He gave Elijah Wood’s Frodo Baggins a run for his money for portraying The Hero Most Likely to Get Hugged by Any Girl When She Sees Him Crying. Or something like that.

Willem Dafoe, whom I adored greatly in The Last Temptation of Christ, was a darkly disturbed and dangerous Green Goblin.

I would have liked it much better if they had not covered Willem’s face so much. The mere sight of those cheekbones of his gives me the shivers. Kirsten Dunst also portrayed Mary Jane Watson with the right blend of ditziness and depth.

My favorite character, however, is the always-harassed, cigar-puffing, highly caffeinated and opinionated editor of The Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson. He was so well fleshed-out by the incredible J.K. Simmons that you could not help but love to hate him.

My close second much-adored character is Uncle Ben, played by Cliff Robertson. The look on his face when Peter told him in the car that he “should stop pretending to be (his) father” just about broke my heart.

I also enjoyed the cameos of various interesting personalities in the entertainment world. Foremost is that of comic book living legend Stan Lee, who got about three seconds or so of screen time during the World Unity Festival attack of the Green Goblin. Stan was seen trying to pull a child out of the way of falling building debris.

Randy Savage appeared during the amateur wrestling bouts and Macy Gray performed onstage during the aforementioned festival. Macy’s presence might prove to be a lucky charm, because she also shed “grace” on Denzel Washington’s Training Day, from which the actor won the Oscar for Best Actor earlier this year.

Danny Elfman’s music was grand, reminiscent of his work on the first Batman movie when there were less techno-alternative frills and more heart and contemplation.

Speaking of Batman, however, the Green Goblin’s Choose Which One To Catch game on the bridge screamed Batman Forever, where The Riddler made Batman choose as to whom between Robin and Chase Meridian he would catch as they both plunged from a great height to their impending deaths.

For more Spidey goodies, visit the official site or browse through this extensive Rotten Tomatoes review and multimedia archive.

This article, written in response a review of the Shoujo Kakumei Utena movie, presents an interesting What If? angle to the unique mythos of this groundbreaking anime series.

What if, indeed, Utena, The Prince, were a male character to begin with? Would the characters have acted/reacted in the ways that they had in the present series?

The ultimate reason why Utena fought in the duels was to Revolutionize the world. Anthy, her prize for beating Saionji in the beginning of the series, only came as some sort of extra because the latter had been dissing a friend of hers. This pissed Utena off so she wanted to get even.

It was not really for personal gain or greatness that she fought, unlike Saionji, Touga or the Black Rose duellists. Perhaps it was Utena’s child-like idealism that enabled her to beat Akio and, in essence, free Anthy in the end.

Had Utena been a guy, I suppose the duels would be motivated more by machismo, at least to a certain degree, as the one holding supreme influence over the duels is another man, Akio Ohtori. The male Utena would not have liked that because it would seem that “he” and Akio stand as two sides of the same coin: they both desire power, though their respective uses may or will vary greatly.

The male Utena would also be much less susceptible to the effects of Akio’s smooth, dashing, debonair seduction, because if “he” has the Rose Bride, well, there may already be an alternate distraction. It is not far off that a male Utena and the Rose Bride may, indeed, develop closeness to an even more, shall we say, intimate degree.

I agree with the post that Shoujo Kakumei Utena deals with gender and growing up for the most part. It is because our sexuality and our innate need to develop deeper awareness of the things around us influence our motivations and choices in this Great Duel called Life.

Here is the basic plot of the Utena movie, from Amazon.com:

Utena duels her classmates to protect her friend Anthy, who is the key to a magical power that could make her dream – to become a prince – come true.

But Anthy hides a terrible secret, and Utena must face the truth about herself and those she loves and learn what it means to be a true hero.

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governor’s Cup Semi-Finals is on to its last lap of games, with the Alaska-versus-San Miguel series tying at 2-2 with the Aces’ victory today.

There will be a deciding game on Friday as to which team will make it to the Finals, to play against the winner of the Purefood-versus-Coca-Cola series.

I am so glad that John Arigo and Don Allado were given Players of the Game honors in today’s Alaska win. Coach Tim Cone should really give his younger players more minutes as he is doing now, with Kenneth Duremdes and Ali Peek on a stint in the Philippine Team for the upcoming Asian Games.

The younger Alaska Aces players seem to be raring to go and very much eager to prove themselves. For those who have not seen Arigo on the floor, you should. He puts the Energizer Bunny to shame.

Of course, my affection for Don Allado is undeniable. Especially now that he has BeeGees hair.