So You Think You Can [Do Indonesian] Dance?

One of my guilty pleasure TV show is So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD). This summer was its fourth year, and I’ve been following it religiously from the get go. What I admire the most from this year’s season was its diversity. They added Bollywood, Argentine Tango, Pas de deux, Country two-step, and Russian Trepak into the routines. It’s a nice break to watch something else other than ballroom’s salsa, quickstep and jive.

The show this year was pack full of respective choreographers. The usual ones (not less important) like Mia Michaels, Jean Marc Genereaux, Tyce Diorio, and Mandy Moore were mixed with new ones like husband and wife Tabitha and Napoleon D’Umo (hip hop), Nakul Dev Mahajan(Bollywood), Sonya Tayeh (jazz), Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden (ballet). The result was a collection of outstanding and diverse dance choreographies; danced gracefully by the Season 4 dancers.

Closer to the finale, the routines were getting ‘crazy’. New dance styles were introduced, for instance: Bollywood, Country Two-Step, Pas De Deux, and Trepak. The dancers were at first struggling with these new stuff; because you can’t just dance something that belongs to other culture, you have to ‘get it right’. The dancers tried not to get a ‘Look at those Americans trying to dance our dance’ from a native Indian or Russian. They have to do the kick right, or the ‘Indian eye glance’ correctly. The dancers did not disappoint at all. At least not me.

On the last night of the show, where they announced the winner, all judges got a chance to pick their favorite dance number and watch it again. Among the others, Bollywood was chosen by Nigel Lythgoe (judge and producer). I was pleased to hear this, regardless if this is a ’scheme’ or not.

Then I pondered, if Bollywood could get exposed, why not [one of] Indonesian dances? Question is, how familiar is the audience and TV viewers with Indonesian dance? More specifically, which Indonesian dances is well exposed to the world? Balinese, Sumatran, or Javanese dance? I’d say the first one, probably Janger (performed sitting down, with highly coordinated hand, shoulder, and eye movements) or Kebyar (fans on one hand, they move dramatically while feet are strongly grounded, and hands and feet move abruptly).

I know for sure, that Indonesian dance is not that foreign here in the US, or even in Indonesia. When I was still back home, I heard a lot of foreigners were learning Indonesian dances at various institutions primarily in Bali and Java. While here in the US, a lot of our Indonesian student organizations (Permias) were able to host ‘Indonesian nights’ or some other form of Indonesian cultural events. Plus, our Indonesian embassies are also good in doing their job promoting our culture, dance is one of them. Indonesian dance and music could also be found through the education world, such as University of Wisconsin in Madison, the Center for World Music in Berkeley, Calif., and at the University of Hawaii. Other than the ‘formal’ institution, there are also dance centers such as this place.

So why is Indonesian dance not well known? How can we help Indonesian dance be more recognized?

Picking On Megawati

Despite the fact that I do like this movie, I’m rather disappointed with the writers. The trio -Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, and Stephen Colbert- created a male character who is the protagonist’s friend. A male. They named him Megawatti Sacarnaputri. Now, for people who are not familiar with Indonesia nor read the current events, that’s probably not a big deal. So, what is the deal? First of all, the name is mispelled. It should be Megawati Sukarnoputri. If you’re going to pick on somebody, do it correctly. I mean, come on… she was a former president of Indonesia, the world heard of her so if you Google it, you’ll be able to get the right spelling.

Second of all, what’s up with the mix gender? Evidently, lack of research [again]. Dinello admitted here: “We were trying to pick on someone that we hadn’t before that we didn’t know much about,” he says. “And then it occurred to us that the only thing we knew about Indonesia was — well we know a couple things — peppercorns and Megawatti Sacarnaputri was the president at one time. We realized later that she’s a female, not a male. So now I feel bad. Other than Henry Kissinger’s involvement in the early ’70s, you don’t hear much about Indonesia anymore. But now it’s in the news all the time with earthquakes and giant waves. Now we feel bad. We should have picked Sweden.”

Well at least they are sorry.

Like I said, I did enjoy watching ‘Strangers with Candy’. Some said that it’s a little over the top and too weird. Hey… I’m all about weirdos. I’m not trying to be a sensitive and touchy Indonesian who feels offended by the mishap on Indonesia in this movie. I just thought it’s funny how the writers didn’t think of doing a research before using a former president’s identity. I mean, it doesn’t have to be an intensive research. Just Google it and you shall find.

Fall Season = New TV Series

Aaahhh… no more rerun. What a joy! Not that I don’t like seeing the ever-so-yummy Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds) or the royal cuteness George Eads (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation). But it’s just not fun watching a crime/drama episodes when you knew who’d done it. I’m bummed to find out that Mandy Patinkin (who plays Jason Gideon in Criminal Minds) will no longer be a regular due to a ‘creative differences’. Read about it here. I really like Patinkin’s disposition as the B.A.U.’s supervisor. The new guy, David Rossi (played by Joe Mantegna), whose supposedly replacing Gideon, isn’t ‘clicking’ with me yet.

Not much going on with CSI : Crime Scene Investigation; same actors, same plot. Sara Sidle (played by Jorja Fox) and Gil Grissom (played by William Petersen) are getting even closer after Sara’s near death experience with the Miniature Killer. Is marriage involved? Hmmm…

There’s a new series on ABC: Pushing Daisies. It reminded me of Tim Burton’s work. It’s so… Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. So colorful and comical. I can’t help but intrigued by this new series, because even though it sounds cheesy (a pie maker who could bring the dead to life for 60 seconds with one touch and the second touch will put the dead back to… death) it’s watchable and cute.

Survivor? I don’t care so much about it anymore. It’s not really ’survivor’ if you’re not really stranded out of no where, if you’re provided with food in the beginning of the game, if you’re allowed to change your swimsuit and were given sneakers.

Amazing Race still amazes me. Not only I like seeing the places they go to around the world, but the human behavior also. It’s amazing to see that some of the contestants were so ignorant. When they’re visiting a country which English is not the official language, they got all mad because nobody speaks English. Wtf? Why don’t YOU speak THEIR language, morons… you’re not in the States. Then some bimbos got disrespectful when they’re visiting India. Saying how stinky it was and got scared for no apparent reason. That’s the only reason I laughed at them; not because they failed to do a task (I don’t think I’m going to do well, either), but because of their ignorance.

I’m a new fan of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. This guy is amazing! He’ll go anywhere in the world and eat the local food that’s considered ‘bizarre’ by Americans. He has the iron stomach. Guinea pigs in Ecuador,  bull testicles in Spain, live worms in the Phillipines, or thousand year old egg in Taiwan; are all yummy to this funny chef. Unfortunately, this Fall is all repeats. Bummer. I find it interesting to see which bizarre food I’d be able to eat, which ones I won’t even lick. Like the cow intestines or brain, I could eat that easy. Deep fried chicken embryos? I could probably gulp that in. But anything from the rodent family, is a big no-no. Also, the infamous balut. Eew… icky ick.

Dante’s Birthday Video and Slideshows

Finally! After procrastinating for a week and a half, the video of Dante’s 5th birthday party is posted at YouTube. I don’t know what happened, but after it’s uploaded, the resolution had gotten lower. It’s not perfect but it’s watchable. Here’s the link:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NWWeZlGM7bg

Dante’s 5th Birthday Party –> Slideshows; just in case the video isn’t watchable.

Zombies are Cool

What is up with Britain and their fondness of zombies? I don’t usually like movies about zombies. I love scarry movies, but zombie-related is not very high on my list of likings. I prefer mystery horror like The Ring, The Others, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and the like. Until I watched Shaun of the Dead couple of weeks ago. Scary stuff with some funny heavily British-accented dialogues. I got hooked. Then last night, I watched  28 Weeks Later, a British post-apocalyptic science fiction horror movie. Both movies are about the undead. Live corpses. Zombies. The flesh-eater. Filled with exploding body, decapitation, blood vomiting, infection; everything a gore movie is all about. Hey… it’s not bad. Zombies could make a cool horror movie.

While Shaun of the Dead is a combo of horror and comedy, 28 Weeks Later is purely a horror movie with no touch of comedy at all. You are guarranteed to SOL (scream out loud) and jump in your seat every now and then. This is the sequel of 28 Days Later that was made in 2002, adopted from a graphic novel entitled 28 Days Later: The Aftermath written by Steve Niles.

I am actually surprised to see how good 28 Weeks Later is. I’ve never seen the first one before (28 Days Later), but having no problem at all understanding this sequel. What makes me ponder is: how did the filmmakers get the footage of empty London’s street? No cars or pedestrian in sight, how smart. It could be computer effects, but I remember reading somewhere in the Net that they were shooting for the scene where Tammy and Andy were wandering around empty street of the fictional District 1 area on a very early morning.

My favorite quote from this movie:

Scarlet: “It all makes sense. They are executing code red. Step 1: kill the infected. Step 2: containment. If containment cannot be done, then Step 3: extermination.” 

KOOZA’s Update

I was online this morning trying to purchase tickets to see Cirque du Soleil’s KAZOO in St. Paul, MN for October this year. Wouldn’t you know: IT’S CANCELLED!

Here’s what their official website says:

Bonjour,
 
Cirque du Soleil announced the cancellation of its Saint Paul performances due to uncontrollable circumstances.
 
If you are a ticket holder for this engagement, you will be fully credited.  Within the next few days, you will receive a follow-up e-mail confirming the credit to your credit card account.  For further ticketing information please contact the Cirque du Soleil Customer Relations Service at tickets@bo.cirquedusoleil.com or call 1 877 688-2699.
 
We understand and apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment these circumstances may cause.

Me imitating Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone: “Nooooooooo!!!”

The Los Lonely Boys at the Surf Ballroom

 

As our belated anniversary celebration, Doug and I went to see the Los Lonely Boys concert at the Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, IA. I know nothing of this band, except that they won the Grammy award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 2005 for their hit ‘Heaven’. I was hesitated at first, especially knowing that it’d take an hour and a half to go there.

“Come on… it’d be fun to watch a Mexican Rock ‘N Roll band,” Doug said.
Sure.

The concert took place at the Surf Ballroom. I’ve never heard of this place before, but it appears to be an iconic place in a small town Iowa because of Buddy Holly. It’s the site of Buddy Holly’s last concert on Feb 2, 1959. Holly, along with Ritchie Valens (remember La Bamba?) and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, died in a plane crash north of Clear Lake following their performance at the Surf in the early morning hours of Feb 3rd - info was taken from the Surf’s website. Since then, Clear Lake been ‘milking’ Buddy Holly’s persona for the town’s benefit.

Our best friends Gary and Ruben drove up from Cedar Falls and joined us that night. We had dinner at a restaurant not very far from the Surf. Couldn’t remember the name, but it was like an old diner with the majority of older crowd. The waitress asked if I’m doing fine being the only girl hanging out with ‘rowdy’ boys.

“Oh, just fine. Thanks, though,” I smiled at her while trying to hide a smirk on my face. The thought of Gary and Ruben being rowdy was just too funny. Rowdy, according to Merriam-Webster Online, means coarse or boisterous in behavior. The only time they’re behaving ‘rowdy’ is probably when they’re arguing about Hollywood gossips. Or boys.

Both Doug and Gary engorged theirselves silly. I’ve been nibbling all day at work earlier because it was Food Day for  one of my coworker’s last day at work. Plus, my dinner. The three of us walked out from the restaurant slowly, groaning about being uncomfortably full. I think this is my first time ever going to a concert not feeling so good.

Anywho, we  went to the Ballroom after dinner, and check in with the lady at the front desk. Doug had bought our tickets online, so we thought they’re on reservation. We weren’t sure what to expect, so we approached slowly and tell the lady our situation.

Doug: “Hello, I believe you have something for us?”
Lady: “Okay, what’s your name?”
Doug gave her his full name.
Lady: “Alrighty then, here you are.” Handed Doug a white envelope.
Doug after opening it: “Uhh, there’s nothing in here.”
Lady: “Oh… THAT is your tickets.”
Blank look from us.
Me after 5 secs later: “Oh! The empty envelope is our tickets! I see.”
Doug, Gary, and Ruben in unison: “Ohhhhh…”

As we walk in to the Ballroom, the opening band was performing and it was LOUD. But as soon as wet in to our ‘booth’, the loudness subsided. The booth is probably not the best seat in the Ballroom. The pillars were blocking our views, plus you have to kind of look over your shoulder or adjust the way you sit to be able to see the stage better. In short, Surf Ballroom’s booth seating sucks!

The band itself, the Los Lonely Boys, were awesome. The three brothers opened their act with ‘La Bamba’ song and said it was a tribute to a Latino rock legend, Ritchie Valens. Henry Garza, the band’s frontman, played the guitar amazingly. Almost like watching a young Santana. The ballroom’s crowd was never stop making noises. They were hysterical when Henry played the opening chord of their hit “Heaven” to wrap up their performance that night.

Note to self: “Do not overstuffed yourself before a concert. Otherwise, you won’t be able to drink, be a little tipsy, and dance like silly.”

Cirque du Soleil in Saint Paul!

 

KOOZA, the newest Cirque du Soleil’s act, is going to held its opening act on October 4 this year under the Grand Chapiteau, Broadway/Kellog Lot (Downtown Saint Paul). Tickets are on sale now for all Cirque Club members, according to the email they sent me. We’re looking at 50 bucks per person at least and 35 bucks for kids under 13. But it’s so gonna worth it!

According to their site, KOOZA tells the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world. KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: It combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor. The Innocent’s journey brings him into contact with a panoply of comic characters such as the King, the Trickster, the Pickpocket, and the Obnoxious Tourist and his Bad Dog. Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA explores themes of fear, identity, recognition and power. The show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement.

 My first encounter with Cirque du Soleil was in 2003 in Treasure Island at Las Vegas: Mystere. It was an amazing show and it’s just hard to explain how you felt when you saw one of Cirque du Soleil’s performance for the first time. Even for the second time. The four of us (plus a frind) were in Paris, France, in 2004 and we watched Saltimbanco. It was hilarious and even my 2 year old son (then) could understand the humor in it. Most recently, was DELIRIUM in Des Moines, IA. I must say, this one’s my last favorite. Normally, when you watch one of their shows, you’d catch that they’re using their own language in the dialog. It’s like a made up language. Even the songs. But DELIRIUM was rather different. It’s a live music concert, basically, with acrobatic acts. Still awesome. Still with unbelievable super gigantic stage. Still with the most hi-tech sounds and lightings you could ever imagine.

KOOZA, I hope I’ll see you in October!

Not A Lame Office Holiday Party

      

Every year, people get nervous when it gets close to the office holiday party. Something about socializing with people from work is not very appealing, according to some friends. I could relate to that. After spending 40 hours a week with them, you don’t feel like spending another time, especially if the other person is really a pain. I didn’t go to my department’s party this year either, due to a personal reason and because of a family member was ill.

However, when my husband asked me if it’s OK to have his department party held in our house, I was fine with it. Especially when he told me that we don’t need to cook or prepare the food/drinks. They’ll take care of that. Sweet!

According to this site, there are some etiquette guidelines to consider for attending an office holiday party.

• Eat, drink and be merry — in moderation. Where else but the office party can you find the CEO and the mailroom clerk bellied up to the bar together? Beware of the spiked eggnog, though. Alcohol plus you and your boss can equal Monday morning’s “I can’t believe I said that.” If you choose to drink, do so minimally.
  Fact: Though the majority of the people did eat, drink and be merry in moderation, some of them didn’t. My husband who happens to be their boss is a very easy going person. Laughter, drunk people talking too loud, and silly games. One guy played wrestle with my 4 y.o. son, slammed him onto the floor and made him cry.
• Dress appropriately for the occasion. Klinkenberg says this rule especially applies to women who sometimes use company parties to strut their stuff. Leave anything short, tight or revealing in the closet. You’ve worked hard to create a professional image, and revealing clothes can alter your coworkers’ and manager’s perception of you as a competent professional.
  Fact: Everybody looked great. Jeans, khakis, sweaters, dressy shirt, Santa’s hat, even a tank top (under a sporty coat) were there. When somebody bent over to pick up something from the floor, the bright red thong peeked. Whoopsie!
• Find out who can come to the event. Spouses and significant others are not always on the guest list. Check beforehand to avoid a potentially uncomfortable evening.
  Fact: It was adult-only party, no kids allowed. We even sent our kids away to the neighbor. But, some adults did act like kids at the party.
• Your company party may be the only time you see the president, CEO or VPs in person. Introduce yourself. This is a great opportunity to become visible to your organization’s higher-ups. At the very least, don’t spend the entire evening with your regular office buddies. Get in the holiday spirit and mingle with people from other departments.
  Fact: At the first hour, I did see the same people who normally ‘buddies’ at work grouping together. After another hour (and more drinks) , people loosen up and start to partner up to play games.
• Pay attention to the time you arrive and when you leave. Even if you don’t really want to attend, avoid arriving 20 minutes before the end just to make an appearance. On the flip side, don’t party into the wee hours either. Coworkers and managers will notice both errors in judgment.
  Fact: The party said from 6 to 9 pm. Some people showed up about half an hour early while others stayed until 10 pm.
• If you’re in charge of planning the party, consider your employees’ diversity. A Christmas party may alienate some staff. Promoting a holiday party is more inclusive.
  Fact: Very true. No Christmas decorations, no Christmas-y songs.
• Plan an event that reflects well on the company. Choose an appropriate location, control the alcohol flow and take your employees’ interests into consideration.
  Fact: For once, we had a fun office holiday party. No lame-o. The game of Scene It? Music Edition was fun, the card game was a riot, pool table always busy, darts were flying like crazy, and the shuffleboard was a hit too.

Who’s Behind Those Funny Voices?

Today I feel like applauding these 5 actors/comedians for making five cartoon characters came to ‘life’ and full of personality and becomes my top 5 for so many years:

 1. Sacha Baron Cohen >> the voice of King Julien XIII, the ring-tailed lemur in the movie Madagascar. Through Cohen’s voice, Julien became my favorite cartoon character through out these couple of years. Self-proclaimed King of the Madagascar lemurs, Julien loves to sing, dance, and be the center of attention. He is slightly deranged and overly impressed by his modest intellect. Julien speaks with a South Asian (Indian/Pakistani) or ‘Desi’ accent, which may reflect the fact that there is a large population of people of South Asian origin in Madagascar -which Cohen did superbly.

Favorite quotes from Julien:

• “Shh! We are hiding! Everyone be quiet. Including me. Shh! Who’s making that noise?! [sheepishly] Oh, it’s me again.”
• All we have to do is wait until they are deep in their sleep. [long silence] HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE?!
• [waving goodbye to Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman] See you later, crocodile! Maurice, my arm is tired. Wave it for me. Faster, you naughty little monkey.

2. Keith Ferguson >> the voice of Blooregard Q. Kazoo aka Bloo, the imaginary friend in the Cartoon Network’s show Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friend. You won’t believe how 34 year old Keith could sound so much like a nagging toddler as Bloo. Sure Bloo who is shaped as a blue, door-shaped blob is charming, but he’s got a bit of an ego; to call him self-absorbed would be an understatement. An instigator and mischief-maker, Bloo is always ready to drag on his best friend, Mac, and and the rest of the Foster’s gang on some ludicrous, ill-fatedand potentially criminal adventure. But no matter the brand of mayhem Bloo unleashes on the house, he’s always forgiven. He’s just too fun to be around.

Favorite quotes from Bloo:

• (When Mac won’t give him any of his Coco trading cards) Aw, come oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon!
• (Addressing hundreds of Bloo clones) “I am Bloo, and you are my minions! Alone, you are all just knockoffs of a really cool guy, but together, we are stronger than any army! (Clones cheer) I think you know what we must do. (Clones stare at Bloo) That is right! We must all sing the theme song from the Ice charades in 100 part harmony!!!”
• (In response to Mac describing himself as Rex Carsalot and his hi-tech racecar) “ARRGH! AND I RIDE SHOTGUN!”

 3. Daran Norris >> the voice of Cosmo (Fairly Oddparents), one of two of Timmy Turner’s fairy godparents. Wanda, the other fairy, is his wife and appear to be [a lot] smarter than him. Cosmo often comes off as oblivious to others’ feelings and safety, and he often undermines his wife Wanda’s attempts to protect Timmy from his own naïve and potentially dangerous wishes. She loves Cosmo, even though he is an airhead (literally; in one episode Wanda states Cosmo’s empty head is great for storage of various items, such as tissues and a picnic lunch, and when Timmy tries to read Cosmo’s thoughts he only hears elevator music).

Favorite quotes from Cosmo:

• (when he, Wanda, and Timmy are inside Timmy’s head) “Are you sure this isn’t my mind? It seems pretty empty in here…”
• “It [Super Toilet] took the plunger… THE WHOLE PLUNGER!” “Aah! So much clogging!” (curls into fetal position and sucks his thumb)
• Let’s get something straight! I’m not bright! Big words confuse me! I have the attention span of a rodent, and Wanda loves me anyway. THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR YOU!

 4. John Leguizamo >> the voice of Sid the ground sloth (Ice Age the movie). Sid is the talkative type, but suffers from a lateral lisp, which makes his “S’s” and “C’s” rather “wet” or “spitty.” When we first meet Sid, he has been abandoned by his family and friends, who have left him behind for their migration south. He ultimately befriends Manny the wooly mammoth and Diego the sabre-toothed tiger. Ultimately they accept him as a member of their “herd.” In the sequel (Ice Age the Meltdown), Sid is less funny. I like the girly-shriek when Sid hid behind Manny to avoid the angry rhinos.

Favorite quotes from Sid:

Sid: (the baby’s been crying for hours) I bet he’s hungry.

Manfred: How about some milk?

Sid: Ooh, I’d love some!

Diego: Not you, the baby!

Sid: Well, I ain’t exactly lactating right now, pal!

Diego: You’re a little low on the food chain to be mouthin’ off, aren’t ya…?!

Manfred: ENOUGH!

 5. Doug Lawrence >> the voice of Sheldon J. Plankton (SpongeBob SquarePants) which described as “1% evil, 99% hot gas” and is Mr. Krabs’ tiny little green oval-shaped one-eyed business rival. Plankton is a science wiz, and even knows how to induce thermonuclear fusion. His primary catch prase is “I went to college!!!”, which he usually says while flying back towards the Chum Bucket after one of his schemes to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula has been thwarted. Plankton lives at the Chum Bucket with Karen, his dear computer “WIFE” (Wired Integrated Female Electroencephalograph), who irritates him to no end. Plankton speaks in a deep, melodramatic voice, and enjoys pursuing various forms of villainy, such as Krabby Patty theft and trying to possess sponges by getting inside their brains.

Favorite quotes from Plankton:

• “All hail Plankton!”
• “Felicitations, malefactors! I am endeavoring to misappropriate the formulary for the preparation of affordable comestibles! WHO WILL JOIN ME?!?” (“Plankton’s Army”)
• “I see you…ZAP!”