EXTREALITY TV

If you open your television right now it's very probable that you will find a reality TV show playing. It seems watching real life on TV is much more entertaining nowadays than movies or series. One thing you'll notice though is how the reality TV shows become more and more extreme. There is now a reality TV show following the life of a sexy magazine magnate, or the life of an under-aged pregnant teen, or the controversial life of a controversial celebrity.

Soon, it will become more extreme. I thought some of the possible reality shows that may soon air in our little boob tube.



1. The Doctor's Apprentice

10 Medical Doctors are pitted against each other in a hospital. Each week, every doctor is given a patient to diagnose and treat. If the patient dies, the doctor is instantly expelled from the hospital. If all patients are treated, three weakest doctors will be picked, based on their treatment of their patients.

Slogan: Who will survive in this game of life and death (literally).



2.The God Factor

10 Religious leaders are housed in a dormitory. Each one can interact with each other about their own religions. Their goal is to convert each other to believe their own gods. If one leader is able to convert another, he will have immunity for the elimination. Every week, each one will undergo a very extreme test of faith. Anyone who surrenders his/her faith will be eliminated.

Slogan: Profess. Believe. Survive.



3. The Sight

10 fortune tellers are pitted against each other. Every start of day, each one makes a prediction on who will be eliminated on that day. When the day ends, they vote on who they want to be eliminated. The fortune teller who guesses the least correct is eliminated.

Slogan: The winner already knows.



4. Vegan Brother

10 vegetarians are housed in a steak and bbq restaurant. The last one to eat meat wins.

Slogan: You eat meat. You lose it.




5. Interrogation Idol

10 interrogators are given a prisoner of war each. They must do all they can to the POW to retrieve a secret information even if it means resorting to torture. The agent who gets the information the longest time is eliminated. If the POW dies, the agent is eliminated.

Slogan: Nothing is Top Secret.

2 Worlds in Fiction

Most stories revolve in a battle between two entities, good versus evil, black vs. white, strong vs. weak and so on. My favorite stories are those that discusses this rivalry but adds a very different twist to it.

The anime series, 'Last Exile' is one of them. In the world of Prester, Anatoray and Disith are two rival countries that are physically separated by a barrier of fast-flowing air current called the Grand Stream. What is interesting in the series is the fact that the rivalry between the two countries is governed by another independent entity, who provides the machinery and capacity for the two countries' wars. What's more interesting is the fact that the two countries know about this but still they battle with each other.

I recommend the book 'The City and The City' by China Mieville.It is a novel about the cities of Bessel and Ul Qoma. This time, there is no physical separation between the two cities. Yet their cultures are quite very distinct from each other. I was amazed at how the author intricately described each city-- you really have to read it to know about it for yourself.

In the sci-fi series Fringe, the topic of a parallel universe is the main theme. One major arc of the series is a quest on how to traverse the other side. It's cool how the series depicted the alternate universe by giving very small yet noticeable differences (i.e Manhatan).

The critically-acclaimed movie 'Another Earth', tells of a story where there is another Earth with another set of people just floating within Earth's view.

In many Zelda games, a very usual scenario to move the story is for the protagonaist to travel between "worlds" in order to complete a quest. In the Oracle of Ages for example, Link has to do some actions in the 'past' (World 1) to advance the game in the 'present' (World 2). In the 'Minish Cap', Link has the ability to shrink into a smaller version of himself thereby experiencing a very different yet connected mini world as compared with his real sized world. While in 'A Link to the Past', Link has a magic mirror that allows him to traverse between the Light and the Dark world, which is required to finish various in-game quests.

In these stories, the conflict between the two worlds is not the main focus-- it is the interaction or synergy of the two entities that primarily move the story.



(Images courtesy of the web)

Amazing Sci Fi Fashion Apparels

Nike just announced the release of "Back to the Future" shoes (a.k.a Air Mag) for a limited stock only. These shoes will be put up on auction in eBay and the proceeds will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to find the cure for Parkinson's Disease. All I can say is the shoes are absolutely marvelous!

I've always loved the Back to the Future movies and I always watch the BTTF DVD trilogy if I feel like it. The entertainment factor never diminishes. I think I'm one of the many fans who wishes to get one of those limited edition shoes into our hands, er, feet.

When I last checked the auction site,  the prices of each pair were already at $4,000 with still 17 hours left for bidding. That is around 200,000 Pesos. (200,000 Pesos?! Imagine Doc Emmett saying, "1.21 jigawatts!"). That's already the price of a second-hand car. So that only means goodbye Air Mag.

I wonder if that design is patented? Because if not, maybe our local Marikina shoemakers can make them here. I would really want to have a pair if only for the aesthetic and nostalgic factors (I won't really wear them at work). If they are patented, however, then that's just unfortunate. We dont want them to make japeyk copies of the original, right? (wink. wink.)

Anyways, with Nike's announcement of the shoes, I've thought of other clothing apparels from Sci-Fi movies that were already made in real life and are actually wearable not just during cosplays but in daily life (at least on some occasions and settings). I compiled them into the list below.


1. Tron hoodie (Threadless)

This is not really an actual costume that was worn by characters in the movie, just a design based on it. Nevertheless, these are pretty amazing.

2. The Matrix trenchcoat (AbbyShot.com)

This is not something that can be worn in a hot country like mine. But one would look badass just wearing these. Wear dark sunglasses for an added cool factor.

3. Superhero jackets from Universal Designs (udreplicas.com)

If you are a motorcycle rider, then you'll find these replicas of jackets from movies like Wolverine, Captain America, The Dark Knight and Xmen pretty rad.

4. Star Trek T-shirts (Nerdyshirts)

I'm not really a Trekkie but these t-shirts from Nerdyshirts boasting the Star Trek logo on a plain colored background are just great.

5. Star Wars Hoodie (Star Wars)

Lastly, these hoodies of Star Wars characters such as a Storm Trooper, Darth Maul and Boba Fett are beautiful. To see the full effect you have to close the hoodie's front zipper all way to the top. Best thing to do when you feel like disappearing instantly like during a boss' lecture etc.

So that's it, a round of amazing apparels based on sci fi movies. I'm adding all  of these (along with the Air Mag) into my wishlist for Christmas.


Images:
www.threadless.com
www.abbyshot.com
www.udreplicas.com
www.nerdyshirts.com
www.starwars.com

Symbolic Urban Design

In the anime series, Full Metal Alchemist, in a world where alchemy is a commonplace (much like gasoline or electricity in our world) the Fuhrer King rules the city of Amestris. The king is in turn just a part of a shady group of people who is in control of the country. In the series, it was revealed that this group has planned to build the city from the very start into a form of a transmutation circle. A transmutation circle is a symbol, which when tapped correctly by a skillful alchemist, can give great powers to its designer. The King's group (the Homunculi) has an end game of turning the city into a transmutation circle which will transmute all its citizens into a powerful philosopher's stone, a relic capable of multiplying the powers of alchemy of the user.

I was intrigued by the concept of a whole city being built for one sole purpose, as an aesthetic or perhaps a functional symbol such as a Transmutation Circle. This concept has also been glossed over by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman in their book Good Omens. In this book, they explained that the highway M25 in London is created in the image of the Dread Sigil Odegra. They also explained that this is the reason why motorists who pass into this highway seem to be possessed by evil and never reach the exit without experiencing carnage and frustration through out the route. According to the book, this feat is an acomplishment of the devil Crowley and that he considers this a "bad job well done".

In the US, conspiracy theorists have long believed that the country is being controlled by a group of individuals linked to Satanism or Freemasonry. They show as proof the Washington street layout which, according to them, forms a Luciferic symbol of an inverted star representing a goat's (devil's) head. This has become a center of many fictional works from authors like Brad Meltzer and Dan Brown.

It's interesting to know that it is possible for a whole bustling city or urban sprawl to be built just to serve one purpose; as a symbol, a sign, a building block, a unit which fits into a space of a larger puzzle.

A Grand Design as one might say. Every component, sub-unit or area of the city consciously or unconsciously is contributing to one purpose. In Amestris, the buildings form the symbol (the circle) while the citizen form the ingredients. In the M25, the highway itself forms the sigil while all the motorists become some sort of sacrifice to feed the dread sigil. While in the case of Washington, the streets form the symbol.

A common denominator for the designs is the existence of an overseeing entity to make sure the vision is complete, whether it is the Homunculi, the Devil himself or the Illuminati. I wonder if there are other real cities formed in similar circumstances?

Wrestling Masks: The Rey Mysterio-Cody Rhodes feud

The Rey Mysterio-Cody Rhodes rivalry is getting more interesting.

In the last WWE Smackdown match between the two wrestlers, we got a taste of a feud with a potential for longevity and intensity. A building tension reaches its climax which ends in a post-match beatdown outside the ring. It was an amazing exchange of moves and maneuvers. But the beauty of it lies in the reason for the animosity.

When he started, Rhodes’ gimmick is that he is extremely narcissistic, even claiming that he is the best-looking wrestler in WWE. In fact, he demands to be called “Dashing” Cody Rhodes.

But in one of his fights with the quick Rey Mysterio, his face was hit by Mysterio's leg brace. Rhodes was very devastated by this happening. He undergoes reconstructive surgery for his face. He was no longer dashing.

This created a very interesting storyline. Rhodes began to be ashamed of his appearance. When he returned to WWE after months of recovery, he was wearing a clear protective mask. That is in addition to his cowl.

Rhodes develops a deep anger to Mysterio for breaking his face. Interestingly, Rhodes has lost his ‘face’ and becomes a ‘heel’ entirely. Mysterio has no grudge with Rhodes but he needs to fight for his life as Rhodes’ fury will never make him safe. It now becomes a personal feud between two wrestlers in masks. It is a nice theme in itself. Almost poetic.

This theme was established more concretely during the April 22 match. During the match, Rhodes brings masks made from paperbags and made a speech to the audience. Rhodes says that his mask is for protection while Rey Mysterio’s is for hiding his fears and loathing thoughts for the WWE Universe. Rhodes says everyone is wearing a mask but he can see through them. He says everyone is envious of him. He says everyone hopes it is worse for their neighbor, friends and family more than themselves. Cody then offers a remedy at his expense, he presents a paper bag with holes for eyes, nose and mouth. He wants everyone to put them on to cover everyone’s flaws. He says to keep them on until he defeats Rey Mysterio.

Rey Mysterio won the match. But after the match Cody Rhodes attack him and the two fights outside the ring. In the end, Rhodes was able to subdue Mysterio and forcedly wears a paper mask to his head. Rhodes exits victoriously. He has established himself. Surely, he will have many fans after that. Many will surely come to the arena in paper masks.

But this is just a start of a good story in the making. His personal grudge against Mysterio is just a start. One angle that WWE can play is that Rhodes can now become a heel to all those wrestlers that are good-looking. Rhodes can be developed into a demented wrestler with a deep hatred for beauty. Or a wrestler who wants everyone to show who they really are behind their masks, as in Rey Mysterio’s case.

Either way, the mask theme is getting interesting.

Apophenia

Just found the following info from wikipedia.

Rene Requiestas was a Filipino comedian who was born on January 22, 1957. The last movie that he completed was "Alyas Batman en Robin" where he played the villain Joker. His other movies include the western comedy, "Long Ranger and Tonton" where he partnered with a cowboy played by Joey De Leon.

Heath Ledger was an Australian actor who died on January 22, 2008. The last movie he completed was "The Dark Knight" where he played the villain Joker. His other movies include the western drama, "Brokeback Mountain" where he partnered with a cowboy played by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Nothing to see here.