11 November 2013

We Interrupt the Program: PLEASE SEND HELP TO THE PHILIPPINES

Dear World,

Our country's central islands have been ravaged by Typhoon Haiyan, which has been recorded as the strongest typhoon to hit the world ever.  There's been an estimated 10,000 dead, while millions of people are without homes. Aid from around the world are coming in and we're truly gracious for this. But we need more help, especially when another storm is brewing in the south in the coming few days, and it's threatening the same places Haiyan has destroyed.

Here's where you can send help. These all link to US centers that coordinate with their Philippine counterpart:


The pictures I see are beyond depressing that I thought I could find comfort in watching Band of Brothers, where triumph of the human spirit trumps death and destruction. How I wish making all the sadness go away would be as easy as flicking the remote button. But the reality is, we are a country struggling and in mourning.

Please help the Philippines carry through this.

Thank you.

P. S. --- For those in Manila, on Tuesday (11.12) my husband and I will be joining a group in gathering donations at Total in the Greenhills area. If you wish to drop off your donations there, please do so.  You can also send in your monetary donations through various bank accounts posted by news networks. 

08 November 2013

HAPPY ENDINGS: What's the cast up to?

So, this is finally happening! Damon Wayans, Jr. returns for what was supposed to be a quick stop on New Girl, but he won't be leaving for a while...


Wayans Jr was originally part of the cast of New Girl but since he was doing two pilots at that time, he stuck it out and chose to stay on Happy Endings. Unfortunately, despite being far superior than most comedy shows (yes, superior even to New Girl), Happy Endings was cut from TV last season.

So, what has happened to the cast of Happy Endings now?
  • On top of this New Girl gig, Damon Wayans Jr will be busy next season with a new show he is developing.  Man/Child is a comedy about single fathers who move in together and strive to balance parenting and bachelorhood.
  •  Adam Pally is currently a regular on The Mindy Project, playing an OBGYN. He was "adopted" into the cast this season.
  • Eliza Coupe has a semi-regular role on The Millers, as the ex-wife. But she is also developing and starring in a legal comedy called Benched. Slated for next season on a cable network, the show is about a corporate attorney who experiences a nervous breakdown and now works as a public defender.
  • Casey Wilson has two shows in development in two different networks for next season as well. One is a comedy about fraternal twins (Mason Twins), while the other is tentatively called DINKS (aka double income, no kids).
  • Elisha Cuthbert and Zachary Knighton are the two remaining cast members without any notable projects set so far. Cuthbert got married over the summer.

The cast of Happy Endings

 ############

Haven't been feeling great all week. I've just recovered from flu but for some reason, I still have dizzy spells. I think it's coz of my colds, which has affected my ear & my balance (hence the vertigo). It also has limited my ability to smell. I can't even tell how stinky my dogs are, until people in the house were already pointing it out to me.

It hasn't been the best week either coz I keep receiving bad news after bad news about dear people I'm hoping will be able to surpass life's crazy challenges. 

And then there's this storm we're supposed to experience today. The biggest to hit the world this year! I can't even begin to grasp the magnitude of it! :(

Hoping for better days (happy endings?) ahead!

01 November 2013

TROPHY WIFE: Is The Joke Offensive to Filipinos?

In this week's Trophy Wife, which was their Halloween episode, there was an exchange between Pete and his ex-wife Diane that went like this:

Diane: "The truth is, anyone could have egged your house. Let it go."
Pete: "This from a woman who had her housekeeper deported because she scratched her coffee top."
Diane: "I was doing her a favor, in the Philippines she's a doctor." 

Here's a video of that scene. I took it using Instagram's features, so please excuse the quality:


Did you find the dialogue offensive?

I didn't really pay much attention while I was watching this,  despite my habit of taking note of anything Pinoy or Filipino mentioned on US programs. The truth is, I didn't like this particular scene between Pete and Diane, because I was more interested with the Bert storyline for this episode (that was more hilarious!). But someone in my Facebook timeline took note of the quip, so I checked the episode again.

I checked for Twitter reactions and found only one (1) mention about it.  I looked around at some Filipino message boards, and no one was talking about it.

Remember this from several years ago? Everyone had their say about it, including politicians and government leaders who demanded an apology from the American TV network ABC. Debates on this ensued for weeks. My own blog entry of it was filled with comments for more than a month.

This time, however, it seemed only a few people took notice (and took offense) of the Trophy Wife episode.

It could be because...

  • It's the holidays this week in the Philippines. Politicians (and everyone who'd normally like to have a say) are taking a long break. 
  • It's not newsworthy...definitely not worthy enough to have people delurk from their long vacation and grandstand, or  tweet, or blog, or comment about it. (Guess I'm the only one who has no life outside of my watching TV, huh? Coz here I am, blogging about it! Heh!)
  • Not everyone has heard of Trophy Wife. Especially not in the Philippines. Because the show is relatively new, debuting just six weeks ago, it's practically unheard of in this side of the world. But checking Trophy Wife's Facebook page also tells me, it isn't exactly a popular show over there, too. 
  • Filipinos residing in America haven't been watching this show. And I've deduced this from forum activity in a popular Filipino community. There was no mention at all. To be honest? I was more bothered by this because it shows why Trophy Wife isn't winning with ratings. Darn, it...no one watches this show!  Now, I worry about whether or not it's getting another season because it's one of the new shows I've come to enjoy. 
  • No one gives a damn anymore. I'd like to think that after that Desperate Housewives incident, some of us have learned a thing or two about handling offensive comments. Or why pouring energy over it is a total waste of time. 
My attitude about this is pretty much like when people defend religion ---  If you have to point out why the statement or joke is insulting, then the problem lies with how intact is your self-perception.

Surely, this joke isn't the "fact" that defines Filipino maids & doctors, right?