Royals

Nope, this isn't about the Lorde song. Though I do like that song a lot.

This is about a Netflix film that was recently dropped.

"The Royal Treatment" is a simple, straight forward, formulaic rom-com. And as rom-coms go, simple, straight forward and formulaic is the right way to go.

It's an age-old tale of a Prince falling in love with a commoner. But this combination of a headstrong New York hairdresser and a prince from a faraway land who has no "voice" in his kingdom feels a bit different because of some teeny-tiny plot embellishments.

Watching it once made me smile. And most likely, I'll be watching this again when I have spare time.

FMM: You never forget your first...

Because of this project we're working on the whole week, I got re-acquainted with this super classic cheesy song from the 80s.

It's so cheesy, we loved listening to it again and again and again.

Presenting, Eugene Wilde and Joanna Gardner and the cheesy classic, "First Love Never Dies."



Hurray for projects that make you rediscover old songs!

How's this for cheesy?

Meanwhile, back at the Mega Food Hall, I found these uber good cheesy nachos from a place called Chubby's Rib Shack.

It automatically falls in the "so good, it's bad" category. The thin and crispy corn chips are smothered in barbecue sauce, salsa, pulled chicken and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese.

As a fan of nachos, this automatically goes to my top 5 list of best nachos in Manila.

FMM: Ice see you

The other day, my colleague and I were laughing at another officemate who was dressed up looking like an ice skater. She was wearing a black, body hugging ensemble, complete with sparkly crystals all over the place.

We were just waiting for her to do a pirouette and a triple axle. Which she didn't do, of course.

Our ice skating conversation later moved to "Ice Castles," which led me to remember the theme song of the film:



It's a Friday, so I don't think I'll be skating on thin ice by playing this song today.

FMM: Just Perfect

Out of the blue, this song came playing on the cab I was riding on the way to the office. It's been a while since I've heard this on air, so it was a pleasant surprise to hear in. And on a Friday at that.



It's been decades since this song first went on air, and it still resonates as much as it did the first time I heard it. The melody is beautiful, and the lyrics are like poetry.

After all these years, this song true to its title.

It's perfect.

(Here's the thing, though. Whenever I hear this song, I remember the old Ligo commercial that goes: "Ligo at kanin... *cue music* perfect combination..." Hahaha.)

Anticipating the dawn

When the "Twilight" franchise started, I wasn't really sold on it. I read the first book, and it was pure cheese. I remember telling my friend that it was like reading "Sweet Valley High" with vampires.

The first movie came out, and it was a much ballyhooed film. After watching it, my initial reaction was: "Not bad." (Except maybe for Bella's perpetually constipated look.)

Then the second movie came out, followed by the third, and I ended up watching all of them.

And now, I'm highly anticipating the final chapter of this saga. After seeing the trailer, it looks like it's going from "Sweet Valley High meets Vampires" to "X-Men meets Vampires."



Either way, I'm lining up for this film. Hahaha.

FMM: Extra cheese, please

Tomorrow's lesson is about editing and I'm looking for videos that use cuts, dissolves and wipes in telling the story.

The dissolve effect is often used by ballads, so I started scouring youtube for possible candidates. Lo and behold, I found the Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan classic, especially for you.



With all the slow dissolves, half dissolves, split screen and and superimposition, I must say this is one cheesy video. It can put Dutch towns to shame.

Thankfully, I like Kylie Minogue. And yes, I like cheese.

So, cheesy as it may seem, I actually like this video.