August 27

It’s my first week, and I’m getting the hang of this, banging this out between feedings. I can’t write about everybody, so I try to keep a variety of up-and-comings, used-to-bes, and Big-in-Japans. But I don’t want to write for an audience of one. So, who would YOU like me to write about?

My lady would want me to write about Alexa Vega. She’s an actress that’s already top-lined plenty of tween movies; if she was in the Disney fold, you’d probably had already heard too much of her. But for those of you old enough to vote, you might recognize her one for two things: the Spy Kids franchise, or “Repo! The Genetic Opera,” which is the real reason I’m posting about this girl. Any excuse to spotlight “Repo!”…

This is the best copy of “Zydrate Anatomy” I could find, featuring the play’s writer, Vega, and Paris Hilton. Please don’t let that dissuade you; it’s a wonderfully gory operetta for anybody who adored “Buffy” or “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

In case my mom’s reading this, I guess I should write about Ogie Alcasid, who’s apparently an entertainment powerhouse in the Philippines. In twenty years, he’s gone double platinum three times, been in 30 movies, and hosted too many game shows, including Filipino versions of Family Feud, Hole in the Wall, and Pinoy Idol (I think he filled the Randy Jackson role.) He even has a chain of hot dog stands called “Oggie Doggie”.

I can’t bring myself to post his music here; sounds like the late-70’s muzak that Sears piped in when Mom would make me shop for school clothes. But I just have to share this clip of Ogie co-hosting the Philippines' version of "Hole in the Wall"; he’s the one in the pigtails, I think…

If my Facebook-addicted co-worker’s reading this, I have to send birthday wishes to Tony Kanal of No Doubt. Gotta admit, the man’s got brass ones for dating and dumping Gwen Stefani, and then sticking around to record an album of songs about the breakup, watching the album go 16 times platinum, and let her sing those songs to you every night.
In honor of his skills and inspirations, it seemed like “Ex-Girlfriend” would be the perfect music video to play. Wouldn’t you know, all YouTube copies are blocked for posting. And then I found this AMV, cutting a scene from the Anime “Kite”, which should be very familiar to anybody who’s seen the No Doubt video. In fact, let’s call this the “Possibly Not Safe for Work” version…


In the end, I’m writing this for me, trying to share a glimpse at the weird and wonderful things this world has to offer, encouraging others to appreciate the under-appreciated while we have a chance.
So, Happy Birthday, Pee-Wee Herman.


Tommorrow: Why I don’t write about bigger stars