Three of the Coolest Ads Ever Made

Some TV ads are so well-designed and superbly executed that they cease to be just ads but become works of art. Among them is the series of ads for Sony Bravia, a brand of high-definition LCD TVs. The first ad is actually a bit old but I think it is still one of the coolest and most memorable ad spots ever created.

Imagine 250,000 real (no computer-generated effects) brightly-colored rubber balls bouncing down a San Francisco street - simple but iconic. The song is great too - 'Heartbeats' by Jose Gonzales. This is easily one of my favorite TV ads.



Meanwhile, another ad, launched last year, is a literal outburst of colors. A total of 1,400 timed explosions covered a tower block in Glasgow, Scotland in 70,000 liters of environment-friendly paint. It's quite a spectacle, an exuberant fireworks display of color dancing to classical music. Like in ‘Balls’, the paint is all real and no computer-generated effects were used. Expectedly, it made such a ginormous mess, but it is quite a beautiful mess.



The latest spot for Sony Bravia instantly blew me away. Using stop-motion filming technique, the ad features hundreds of Play-doh bunnies frolicking all over New York to the tune of ‘She's a Rainbow’ by the Rolling Stones. This is pure genius, and a lot of hard work -- 40 animators worked on 2.5 tons of plasticine for about three weeks to create this 60-second spot.



There's another Sony Bravia ad spot, actually. Probably aimed towards the African market, this time they draped the freakin’ Great Pyramid of Giza with hundreds of yards of colored threads.

Makes me wonder what they’re going to do next.

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By the way, these three ads were conceptualized and created by Fallon. Watch how they made these ads: Bouncing Balls, Exploding Paint and Play-doh Bunnies. Coolness.

Will 'The Hobbit' Finally Happen?

After the spectacular achievement that is the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, I was expecting that Peter Jackson will start working on the 'Rings' prequel, 'The Hobbit'. However, another battle (very much unlike those fought at Helm's Deep and Pelennor Fields) left the possibility of a Jackson-directed 'Hobbit' film as good as dead.

There has been a nasty legal scuffle raging for years between director Jackson and Robert Shaye, New Line Cinema's co-chairman, over unpaid profits and the denial of Jackson's request for auditing of the films' income (which isn't much, only $3 billion dollars - loose change. hehe) . The rift got so bad and too personal that the future of 'The Hobbit' became quite grim.

But if the latest news is true and the two parties are indeed moving towards a resolution, we might see hope for 'The Hobbit' after all. Personally, I'd like to see no other director to work on ‘Hobbit’ other than Peter Jackson. I am quite sure that the books’ millions of fans feel the same way. In fact there are several ongoing campaigns calling for a ‘Hobbit’ film with no other than Peter on the helm.

Peter Jackson has perfectly captured J.R.R. Tolkien’s vision and made it more real for us. I’d love to see Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and others, brought to life once again by Jackson and his team. For me, ‘The Hobbit’ was a more enjoyable and fun read compared to the trilogy, and I just can’t wait to see that thrilling story of adventure, bravery and loyalty realized on screen. I’m hoping that things will turn out great for ‘The Hobbit’ and Peter Jackson and he will indeed be directing this much-awaited prequel. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, I don’t have any idea on who might be the perfect actor to portray Bilbo, though. Ian McKellen has expressed interest in playing Gandalf once more and frankly I can’t think of any other actor for the role. The other LOTR stars have also professed their allegiance to Jackson and to whatever he is planning to do, although most of their roles don’t really have much significance in the story of ‘The Hobbit’. Who do you think can portray Bilbo best?

Diagnosis: Disillusionment

Disclaimer: Rambling mode is on. If you don't want to read anything emo, pointless, senseless and utterly self-indulgent, just look away.

All around me are familiar faces. Worn out places, worn out faces. Bright and early for their daily races. Going nowhere, going nowhere. And their tears are filling up their glasses. No expression, no expression. Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow. No tomorrow, no tomorrow.

For the past few days I find myself once again weaving in and out of familiar old feelings. It’s like living a non-life. As I wake up in the morning, I can’t find a good enough reason to get up and face the day. And when I do succeed in dragging myself to where I’m supposed to be, there begins another sickening routine where I trudge along, seemingly okay on the outside, but not quite deep inside. The day has barely started and I'm already wishing for it to end.

Something’s just wearing me out and I feel as if I’m worn out too thin. And I know it’s affecting my efficiency (was I ever efficient?) and functions at work (I think I’ve been malfunctioning for months now) negatively. As usual, befuddled old me can’t point a finger to what it is that’s bugging me. I try to be unfazed by it all and I may be succeeding because nobody notices. But as the day ends, I find myself slumping back down into the dumps again.

And I find it kind of funny. I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had. I find it hard to tell you 'cos I find it hard to take. When people run in circles. It's a very, very Mad World

Maybe I'm just bored. Or maybe I’m just tired of it all: the same places, the same faces, the same things. Or maybe I’m disillusioned, yet again. They say that disillusionment refers to the feeling that arises from the discovery that something is not what it was anticipated to be.

Maybe that’s it – this isn't the life I envisioned I would have five or ten years ago.

But then again, what exactly did I imagine my life would be? Did I consciously will this kind of life into reality or this is exactly what I'm supposed to be living and I can't do anything about it? Where will all this lead, then? Am I taking the right path and at the right direction? Can I get myself out of this rut soon? Am I just wasting my time? And when I finally wake up from this stupor will I be regretting all that lost time?

Art by Vladstudio

Baguio: Through My Camera's Lenses

Must-See Films Before 2007 Ends

There’s roughly three months to go before we bid 2007 adieu but a line up several highly anticipated films are yet to be released. A quick look at Wikipedia reveals the films that are set to premiere later this year. Here are my picks of must-see films before 2007 ends, in random order.

Beowulf – Anyone who passed through English Lit in high school or college will be familiar with Beowulf, the great Anglo-Saxon heroic epic poem. There have been previous movie adaptations of Beowulf’s story but this new film promises to be special because its screenplay is co-written by Neil Gaiman and will be directed by Robert Zemeckis (of Forrest Gump). Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of Grendel’s mother is also highly anticipated.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age – I’m a bit of a sucker for historical flicks and I really liked the first ‘Elizabeth’ film. It’s no wonder I’m looking forward to its sequel, ‘The Golden Age’. The new movie follows the Queen as she struggles to crush her enemies, secure her position and defend her empire from invasion while controlling her heart’s wills in the name of duty.

I think Cate Blanchett is perfectly cast as Elizabeth I. This early, she is already being tipped for another Academy Award nomination and a possible win, an honor that should have been given to her back in 1998. With the original cast, crew and director still intact, ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age' might prove to be a winner as well.

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass – I have yet to read Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy but I intend to do so before this movie adaptation of the first novel, The Golden Compass, is released. Earlier big screen adaptations of well-known fantasy novels such as ‘The Lord of the Rings’, the ‘Harry Potter’ series and the first ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ film have set quite a high standard for fantasy epic films.

I'd like to see how this film will fare given that it was made with a budget of $205M. ‘The Golden Compass’ stars Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and newcomer, Dakota Blue Richards in the lead as Lyra Belacqua.

Alvin and the Chipmunks – Alvin, Simon and Theodore, the three lovable chipmunks are set to make their big screen debut in the new Alvin and the Chipmunks film. The film will be released just in time for Christmas, so this is perfect for kids and kids-at-heart.

I can already hear the three chipmunks' cute Christmas songs. Hehe. The poster implies that Alvin and his gang will go hip-hop this time around. That should be interesting.


Hitman – I used to play ‘Hitman’ so I was pleasantly surprised to see that a movie adaptation of it is slated to premiere later this year. Vin Diesel would have been ideal as Agent 47 but he backed out. Timothy Olyphant will play the role instead.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets – I thoroughly enjoyed the first National Treasure film’s Indiana Jones-esque style so I’d like to see what they will offer in the new sequel. The film is subtitled ‘Book of Secrets’, referring to an alleged document that holds all the nation’s secrets, for the President’s eyes only. I think the idea of the president of the most powerful country in the world keeping all his secrets in a ‘book’ is a bit far-fetched, but we’ll just wait and see if the film can pull it off.

The Other Boleyn Girl – Another semi-historical film, ‘Boleyn Girl’ tells a romanticized account of the life of Lady Mary Boleyn, rumored to be a one-time mistress of King Henry VIII who eventually married Mary’s sister, Anne. We already know what happened to Anne Boleyn and to her daughter, the future Elizabeth I. This film will throw light on the life of the Boleyns, although it is based on a controversial and semi-fictional historical novel. Mary and Anne will be portrayed by Hollywood babes Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, respectively. That’s two more reasons to watch out for this film.

Sweeney Todd – I am not familiar with the award-winning musical on which this movie is based. But as this is the sixth collaboration between director Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, I expect the same magic that ignited their previous films such as Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Also in the cast is Helena Bonham Carter, who is always memorable in her roles (last seen as Bellatrix Lestrange in HP5), and Alan Rickman, more famous for portraying Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. I am quite sure atomicgirl can't wait to see this one. hehe

These are just some of the films that stood out from the Wiki list, in my opinion. Of course, some of these films might turn out as duds after all. There's still quite a lot of big-name movies just waiting for the premiere date. Meanwhile, there may be a gem of a film in that list which, although hidden behind an unfamiliar title, cast and crew, may prove to be a hit when released.

Bob Ong's Macarthur

I’ve just finished reading Bob Ong’s sixth opus, the poignant ‘Macarthur’. This is the first book by Bob Ong I’ve read, so I can’t review it within the context of his other books, although it certainly made me want to explore his earlier and more popular works.

Macarthur is a novella – Ong’s first stab at fiction, if my research is correct. It tells the story of four friends, their lost youth, and their struggles amidst the shocking world of poverty and corruption they are born into. As a work of gritty realism, Ong doesn’t mince words describing the filth and squalor of his characters' environment and the situations they find themselves in. The language is vulgar as vulgar can be, though peppered liberally with humor.

In case you don’t know, ‘macarthur’ is a street slang term that refers to feces that keeps bubbling up no matter how many times it is flushed, as if defiantly saying ‘I shall return’.

Macarthur unflinchingly reveals the ugly and sordid details of the ills of our society: poverty, drugs, corruption and abuse – and how these ills have polluted our youth. But the book also provides an intimate glimpse into the hearts and souls of the characters through the use of both humorous and tragic situations. And one can't help but empathize with them, vicariously feeling their laughter, pain, sadness, terror, remorse and hope.

No matter how society has seemingly hardened them outwardly, deep inside they are not unlike any other youth: weak, consumed with fear and uncertainty, desperately longing for anyone to care. And yet no matter how the ills of society has defiled and polluted them and molded them into 'monsters', there is still a faint glimmer of hope. Just like the proverbial ‘macarthur’, even the dregs of society can defiantly refuse to succumb to the cesspool they have been condemned into by the same society that corrupted and wasted them.

If only we start to care and try to correct our collective mistakes as a society. This seems to be a daunting task and it may be a long way before we can succeed. But like all journeys, everything begins with one small step. If we start with ourselves, with our families, with our immediate community, maybe little by little we can eventually change our society for the better. For the youth, there are a few lines in the book that underscores the importance of education. For the rest of us, the entire book reminds us of the realities that many of us choose to ignore.

Read Bob Ong's Macarthur. :-)

Photo credits: Ron Ryan Aviles and Sidney Snoeck
Thanks to my colleague Yona for lending me her copy

Getting the Good Vibes on Netvibes

I've heard a lot of good reviews about Netvibes before but I didn't really care about using it. Until I read Time Magazine's '50 Best Websites of 2007'. Netvibes is currently #8 on the list, and is one of the Top 3 Web Services Sites this year. To the uninformed, Netvibes lets you create your own customized homepage where you can have everything you need in neat little boxes that you can easily rearrange via drag and drop. You can display email, top news stories, bookmarks, search boxes, Flickr photos, calendar, to-do list, and RSS feeds of your favorite blogs all in one page.

Netvibes is also very easy to customize, with hundreds of widgets and modules available, as well as themes and wallpapers. You can also add various games, utilities, and applications to your personal page. There are also Twitter and Facebook modules available.

So far, I'm getting the hang of using Netvibes as my personalized 'centralized' home page. Now, I don't need to open a new tab on Firefox just to view my email, get the latest news or read my favorite blogs. I don’t need to download and install an RSS reader, either. They're all in one page. However, I can't access Yahoo! Mail because my account needs to be POP3-enabled for me to be able to do so. Unfortunately, POP3 on Yahoo! isn't free. Gmail works fine though.

I think I will be using Netvibes from now on. After all, it pays to be a bit more organized. Hehe. Here's a screenshot of my Netvibes page.