Split of the week: Bamboo
MANILA, Philippines – “Pliant is the bamboo; I am a man of earth,” poet Amado Daguio once wrote. Just when we thought it would only bend over, the bamboo breaks. This week, one of the most iconic of Pinoy rock bands is calling it quits, and they say “all they see are possibilities.” In a statement posted on the band’s website, lead vocalist Bamboo Mañalac looks back at the band’s eight-year ride to the top, and then confirms the break-up. “We were four old dogs that refused to grow up and continued to do what we were born to do,” wrote Bamboo, who was with Rivermaya before he formed the band. After the death of NU 107 last year and now, Bamboo, who’s next?
Other comeback of the week: Amy winehouse
While the Internet collectively creamed its pants for Britney’s Hold It Against Me, guerrilla videos of Amy Winehouse’s comeback concert in Brazil made their way to the music blogs. At her first public gig since 2008, Wino did not premiere any new songs but confidently performed hits of her now-classic 2006 album “Back to Black” and covers of Tony Bennett’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Inside Looking In. It was pre-trainwreck Amy all over again, displaying the virtuosic talents that got her attention in the first place.— Raymond Ang
Commandment of the week: Thou shall name your offspring the Christian names
In a statement which made the Italian press jump in surprise, the Pope said parents these days must name their children more Christian names, rather than choosing Britney or Lindsay or Lady Gaga for their baby girl. The Pope said every new member of the faith is welcomed through the sacrament of baptism, and thus begins their journey after “acquiring a Christian name.” The press then anticipates that the top baby names for this year in Italy would either be Benedetto, Giusseppe or Pietro. In RH-embattled Philippines, we predict Contracepcion.
New app of the week: Google goggles
Remember that newspaper-toting zombie in the game Plants vs. Zombies? Well, he was this close to finishing the Sudoku puzzle (as the almanac says) when your pea shooters started attacking him. Now, he could use some help. Google recently unveiled Goggles, their newest app which doesn’t only help solve Sudoku puzzles, but also do web searches using pictures from your camera instead of keywords. Google says the app is developed primarily for searches that are hard to put to words; say a foreign object you don’t know what for. Try submitting a picture of ex-PGMA and the first result you get is an e-Bay page for California raisins.
Fledgling company of the week: Myspace
After a relaunch that thrilled nobody, Facebook pre-cursor MySpace is going down, for the nth time. Of the 1,000+ employees that hold office in California, 550 received their final paychecks this week. The company is laying off about half of its manpower, as about half of the world sign up for rival networking site Facebook, now valued at about $500M. MySpace experienced a drastic decrease in traffic, which led to a loss more depressing than the 2008 recession. When asked to comment about the lay-offs, execs were reportedly mum about the issue, only saying they’ve already no space.
Hair of the week: Pubic
American Apparel has always been all about hypersexualized imagery to sell its overpriced hipster gear. This time, though, they’ve taken things a step further, by making pubic hair its new ad campaign’s focal point. As styleite.com says, this campaign seems to be highlighting pubes for provocation alone. “Ooh! Look! She’s not waxed! She must be extra sexual! I should buy those panties! Or something.” — Raymond Ang
Reality show of the week: Genuine ken
Mattel’s quintessential blonde hottie is now searching for her new Ken, in a reality show no less. Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend will be premiering next month, though its website GenuineKen.com is already up, giving the American cougar-nation a preview of the boytestants vying to be immortalized as the octogenarian doll’s newest catch. The boys are given titles such as “affectionate Ken,” “athletic Ken” or the hideous “all Ameri-Ken;” and the winner will be the model for the new doll that will be Barbie’s estranged partner. Favored to win is a Chinese guy, whose title is “Foo-Ken.”