This is probably first time I’ve seen so many people interested in the presidential elections and to hear people in various industries on the phone setting their time to watch the presidential debates is just awesome!

In many conversations, people very passionate about their views and who will they vote for in the November elections. There is definitely a big difference in overall public sentiment over this campaign compared to the last two.

And I have to say that it’s because it’s the Republican Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin.

This year’s presidential elections is quite interesting. You have many celebrities really coming out and supporting Obama but then you see this somewhat celebrity status for the Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

From the Saturday Night Live Tina Fey Palin impersonations, to her Japanese designer glasses, Matt Damon and other celebrities coming out, to even former President Bill Clinton on “Larry King Live” giving his two cents about her as well.

But what is it about Sarah Palin that has caught the attention of Americans? Of course, there is worry about her overall knowledge of politics, foreign policy and more and of course, with her coming from Alaska, although she has the political support of her constituents when she was governor, many people feel that due to her inexperience, she’s not suited to be vice-president, especially as president, if anything happens to Presidential nominee John McCain.

But then there is this mystique, almost a celebrity type of aura that she has right now that I noticed people are attracted to.  Maybe because her demeanor is unlike your typical politician and more like a person you would come across at a business function or conference.

Even the politicians I have worked for and have worked with have typically had that “politician” style to them after working many years in Washington and Sacramento.  Palin, well she’s different.

In fact, to watch her with other constituents and how personable she is with them, I often wonder if its that small town mentality that surprises many from the big city.  But nevertheless, as many admirers of her out there who will support her, there are many who can’t stand her and coming out and being vocal.

Neverthless, watching the whole political landscape and how people are reacting… I admit, it’s actually quite entertaining to watch.

But let’s look at a few videos and I love to hear your comments about them.

I feel that a good video that shows the personality of Sarah Palin is a video such as her recent trip to Tony Luke’s in Philadelphia and even a bystander asking if Sarah Palin can talk to his friend on the phone. And she does… I found that quite amusing. Even more so, when another person starts questioning her on foreign policy, specifically, Afghanistan.

Even Showbiz Tonight’s A.J. Hammer had a segment about the celebrity coverage.

And of course, to hear Jack Cafferty and many others talk about her interview on CBS Evening News Katy Couric.

And to hear the McCain aide Nancy Pfotenhauer explain Palin’s performance in that interview.

What is even more interesting was to watch CNN’s Campbell Brown rant about the coverage of Sarah Palin.

But again, I go back to Sarah Palin’s recent visit to Philadelphia and watching everyone react to her.

Of course, watching all the happier videos from her visit to Philly…not everyone was happy in Philadelphia.

And of course, the latest Tina Fey parody on Sarah Palin…

Love her or hate her…Sarah Palin has definitely brought a lot of interest in the presidential campaign. A few more weeks of media coverage and debates and I hope everyone remembers to vote on Nov. 4, 2008.

Image from foxnews.com

Youtube videos are courtesy of youtube.com

SNL video courtesy of NBC.com

It has been so amazing to see young Charice Pempengco achieve worldwide attention.

I have seen her on television via the Filipino channel ABS-CBN (via the Filipino Channel) while visiting my parents and then in 2007, I believe, watching her on “Ellen”.

The young singer from the Philippines was recently featured on Oprah Winfrey this month and just watching her sing “My Heart Goes On” with David Foster was just amazing!

But what touched me was to know more about the life and background of Charice in the Philippines. For so long, I have heard her amazing voice and seen her on youtube.com but for some reason, I have thought, oh…a singer from Manila has been discovered. But in reality, the episode on Oprah Winfrey showed a side of the singer having to support her family and I was truly touched.

The Philippines has amazing vocalists from Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Pops Fernandez, Vina Morales and several years ago, I was just amazed by the voice of Carol Banawa. But Charice Pempengco, has a voice that is just so incredibly beautiful.

And one thing that I enjoy, positively, about the Internet is to see these talent get recognition worldwide, as Arnel Pineda who received recognition from youtube and is now the lead singer of Journey.

But the recognition and the fact that Oprah Winfrey brought the young singer to her show and even went further by getting Charice’s favorite singer Celine Dion to appear on the show via video to invite Charice to perform with her at Madison Square Garden is just incredible.

And before those who bring up the “well, Dennis, you should know by now that Asian singers don’t do well in America”, I agree that the musical marketing of well-known Asian artists in the America has been quite unsatisfactory.

With the latest announcement of K-Pop/J-Pop artist BoA making her American debut in a few weeks, this topic has been a big roundtable discussion amongst me and a few colleagues in the industry. We can hope she is marketed well.

I hope for big things for this vibrant performer. The appearance on Oprah is quite significant and I’m proud of her and the way she has been on television and just singing her heart out!

Charice Pempengco… keep your eyes on this singer with a wonderful voice!

Our economy is not looking great at the moment. Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke has recently warned congress that the financial crisis could take a downturn. Our current Wall Street has changed and banks that people have trusted, are going bellyup.

There has been plenty of concern after the failures of major financial companies such as Countrywide Financial, Bear Stearns, IndyMac and a few weeks ago, Silver State Bank.

I watched a recent video of a woman who lost $20,000 after her bank, Silver State Bank, closed down. She was told that she can get a percentage back “if” the bank sells their assets.

In fact, according to a news reported, there are over $20,000,000 of uninsured deposits for around 500 accounts at Silver State Bank.

I understand that we are in an economic crisis but banks are financial institutions that people generally trust. We invest our hard-earned money to these banks and depend on these banks to tap into to pay our bills, to withdraw when we need to obtain money and for many, to save money, may it be for retirement or for future investments.

No one expects a bank to close down and lose our money but its happening. Corporations are now getting bailed out but people who have their money with these banks have lost their money.

But unfortunately, many people don’t think about their banks or the consequences if one was to close. Some people just try to find a bank that has no monthly charge, a bank that’s local to store their money and that’s it.

Money Magazine’s Walter Updegrave wrote in a recent column, “Essentially, the FDIC insures deposits in several “ownership categories,” which means you may actually be insured beyond the $100,000 limit you most often hear about. For example, single accounts in your name are covered up to $100,000 per bank. Joint accounts are a separate category and also get their own $100,000 of coverage per person per bank.”

So, what does that mean? If you have less than $100,000 in the bank. Your are insured. If you have more, then if something happens to that bank, you can possibly lose your money. So, many financial planners advise to keep money over $100,000 in different banks.

Other ways that banks have provided coverage is if you own different deposit accounts. So, if you are married, you and your significant other has their own single account. Then you have joint account. And if you keep a trust account for your significant other or vice versa. You can literally be insured for up to $600,000.

But what happens when you find out that your bank has been taken over by the federal government or even has changed ownership? There is a good article of the first major bank failure in the US back in 2004.

In 2004, Metropolitan Bank was closed down, taken over by the FDIC and awarded to another bank. Again, remember, your money up to $100,000 is insured by the FDIC but in this case, there were people who had more than that in their bank and they were told that they would receive a percentage of the assets sold from the closed bank.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure how long that takes but my research from various articles have used the word “years”.

So, with the current economy and the fact that bank closures have happened, personally, I would stick with a major financial institution but that is your choice. I have plenty of friends who do not mind investing their money in a variety of banks including online banks.

But the fact is that federal officials have said that they expect more turbulence in the banking industry and how many banks are hurting or at risk of closing, I’m sure that we are going to hear more news about more bank closures especially at the current state of our economy.

As for the people who lost their money, sure, it’s easy for one to say that “they should have known the risks” or “research their bank” but again, many people don’t do that. Many people look for banks that are convenient for them. Again, may it be a bank that is closer to their home, a bank that they or their family have used for years, to wanting to save money by avoiding banks that charge a monthly fee in their savings account.

If anything, hopefully those who do have accounts over $100,000 will learn from other’s experiences and consider the alternatives of having their money insured.

One of my favorite reality shows of late has been “Ghost Hunters“.  I actually seen bits and pieces in the past but not until “Ghost Hunters International” did I get hooked and now watch the series on the Sci Fi channel.  The show literally freaks the crap out of me.

What I enjoy is the the technology used to catch ghosts or the supernatural and I swear it’s quite freaky.

Reminds me of a time when I was a child and saw this light manifest itself to a body and I was just pretending to be sleeping under the covers and watching the figure walk.

Actually had relatives who lived in a haunted house and had to move out because there were just too many weird occurences.

And of course, had a relative who worked at the Queen Mary in Long Beach and had to give the tours and often at times had to walk alone in the ship and she would tell me stories of hearing a child and other things that would just give me the goosebumps.

And a few months ago, Wynne and I went to eat at a sushi restaurant in Fresno (Zipangu) and the plate or was it a glass kept moving by itself.  We were thinking maybe the table was slanted but if that was the case, everything I imagine would move.  But I don’t know…that was a weird situation that I can’t explain.

But going back to “Ghost Hunters”, the show is incredible and if you have the channel, definitely watch it on Wednesday evenings but if you can, take the time to watch these episodes and tell me if this doesn’t freak you out or not.

DISCLAIMER: youtube.com videos are courtesy of youtube and are not on J!-ENT servers

Image linked from  www.dallascowboys.com

Everytime I watch an NFC East divisional game, my heart starts pumpin’.   And whenever you watch the Cowboys and the Eagles go against each other,  I swear I’ve had more frustrating nights watching these matchups than other sports games.

The Eagles have bested my Cowboys for so many years but when the Cowboys are able to beat the Eagles, I can’t help but be excited.

The final Monday Night Football game held on Sept. 15th in Dallas marked the final game at Texas Stadium and what a memorable game it was.

The first half alone feature a combined 50+ points as lead changes between Dallas and Philadelphi kept repeating itself until the fourth quarter and with the fumble by Eagles QB McNabb to Westbrook was a key mistake which the Cowboys capitalized and the final sack by Marcus Ware was just what the Cowboys needed to ice the cake.

But this is football and as much as I enjoyed this game, everyone knows that it all comes down to the end and how many people can keep healthy.  With Roy Willliams fracture arm in the third quarter, I just hope they have a good person playing safety especially the next game against Green Bay.  Another 2-0 team.

Anyway, here are my favorite moments from last night’s matchup.

Felix Jones kick off return was just awesome! He did it for Arkansas and this rookie just exploded through the lane and I swear, this guy has so much potential in the NFL!

Another awesome touchdown by Terrell Ownes and the longest connection from Romo to T.O. No celebration but a cool Usain Bolt head bob at the end.

A boneheaded mistake from one of the most talented receivers in the NFL. Philadelphia Eagles DeSean Jackson celebrated a bit too early before entering the endzone. DeSean Jackson made this mistake in high school back in 2005 but I’m sure he won’t make that mistake anymore.

and Marion Barber…awesome as usual!

If anything, I want to see more from the Dallas defense. Great game but to give up so many points even if it’s the Eagles is a bit much. They will need to get better against Packers Aaron Rodgers next week.

I can’t wait for the Cowboys and Giants matchup and next week’s Cowboys vs. Packers game! That is going to be awesome! And I’m sure the matchup between Dallas and Philadelphia for their second division game at the end of the season will be as explosive. Both McNabb and Westbrook are playing awesome and if they keep healthy, it will be another interesting and explosive game.  But by that next meeting, I hope to see another win by big D and another division title!

I really don’t eat as much rice for the past six or so years.  Mainly because of the carbs and when I do, I typically have eaten more brown rice.

But lately, I’ve been wanting to try various types of rice since I have always kept with the usual Calrose, Jasmine or Nishiki (and even Uncle Ben’s).  But  yesterday, went to the Seafood City market in San Jose and have heard of how much rice has skyrocketed in price but fortunately, found that 5 or 10 lbs. for rice is still the same.  And I grabbed my usual Nishiki but I figured, I’ve eaten the same brands for nearly all my life… it’s time to try another.

So, this time it’s Shirakiku.  The thing is… I have no idea what is “Extra Fancy” rice.  There are so many kinds of rice available but the words “Extra Fancy” sticks out.  Does that mean it tastes better?  Looks better?  I have no idea…

But I realized…didn’t I do a special project on rice when I asked celebrities what their favorite rice and cooking technique years ago?  So, with this week’s topic about rice, why not share with you the old “Got Rice” page:

Celebrity - Got Rice?
by J!-ENT’s Dennis A. Amith

As I stroll through the local grocery store, I see on my list that I need to buy some rice. There are so many different kinds of rice available. I’m not sure if I have tried every brand.

Dr. Shawn Hung told Giant Robot Magazine (Issue No. 10) that the pickiest rice eaters are Japanese who demand high quality. Chinese and Korean are second. Filipinos just want food to eat.

Now, my Asian friends tell me that I must be more picky when it comes to rice.

Hmm… Perhaps I should.

I like my rice sticky and my Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker is great at doing just that. I’m not sure what brand of rice I’m eating right now but what I do know is that it freaken crumbles when I attempt to re-heat it the next morning. OK…I must be eating cheap rice. Forget that! I want some good rice.

Throughout the day I’m just thinking about rice. Rice, such an important supplement and right now I just want to buy the best. So, here I am at the market. I stand there looking at each different brand of rice, I wondered too myself…”Hmm, what kind of rice do the actors and actresses, models, professionals and my friends eat?”

Do they buy Uncle Ben’s, California Brown Diamond, Calrose or do they prefer the ultimate Kokuho Rose? Who knows? Well, only one way for me to find out.

On September 11, 2001, I remember walking into a hectic newsroom during my day off and insist with the President of the newspaper company at the time that despite the day being on my day off, I’m responsible for many newspapers websites and having to make sure that the content reflected on the site is not from Sept. 10 but of what has happened in America that day.

I remember starting the morning off and waking up early.  I had to go in for cosmetic surgery at 9:00 a.m. thus had to commute and bare the busy traffic, so we woke up early and turned on the news and it was about 5:55 a.m. and realized that something bad has happened and live from New York, the first plane hit the first tower at 8:49 and there was confusion.

I watched in awe in that less than ten minutes, what I saw was another plane hit the second tower and was just surprised.  And then was just stuck on the news for the next hour and left for the commute and just listening to the news radio and then hearing about the first tower collapsing.

I remember being in the doctor’s office and everyone talking about going to war and really a state of confusion.

After my surgery, I headed back home  because I was supposed to get some rest but I felt uneasy because I wondered what was going on in the newsroom.  I should be in my office and as my co-workers were working their asses off, I needed to do my job.  I know that typically if it’s a day off or vacation, you should be out of the office and not come in to work.  But I felt that this day was too important and had to ask the president and quickly plead that I have a responsbility and with the many newspapers I was reponsible for, to get the AP feeds ready on the newspaper sites.

My eyes were glued to cnn.com and various newspaper sites along with what came in to us from AP and seeing each photo and watching each video, I was just numb.

I’d leave the office to get some air but just watching everyone in the newsroom, everyone looked numb.  No one really talked that day.  They worked, they knew they were on deadline and it was a very somber newsroom.

I’m on the opposite side of the country of where this is happening and this feeling of uneasiness because you want to be part of the rescue, to do something…but you can’t do anything but pray.

I managed to get the feeds going on various newspaper sites and what you see above is an image from one of the sites.  A screen capture I took at the end of the day and left.  I remember driving through the freeway and just shocked and numb.

We lost a lot of people that day.  Fathers, mothers, husband, wives, children.  Just thinking of that day, I just get teary eyed.  The following day, our community found out that we lost one person in our area during the attack on the Pentagon.  It was a friend’s brother.

I just think about the loss.  Of how the country was changed from that moment on and looking back years later, you still can never forget…

It’s been seven years now and I continue to pray for the family and friends of the 2,953 that died that day. God bless!

I sit in my darkened office with the light from my computer illuminating the room and I listen to the three tenors: Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti with Maestro Zubin Mehta.

At this moment when I type this, I’m listening to Placido Domingo perform “O paradis” and just love the finish for that song.  Earlier, I listened to Antonio Carreras perform “Il lamento di federico” which was just wonderful!  Next up is “Recondita armonia” by Luciano Pavarotti which I remember loving for the music alone.

This is from an old London tape that I bought right after their historic performance and it was released into stores.

Back in July 7, 1990, what was impossible became possible and the dreams of opera fans all over the world rejoiced as the three greatest tenors of the day joined forces with an orchestra of 200 musicians against a backdrop of the majestic scenery of ancient Rome.

In the famous Baths of Caracalla in Rome, with the stars filling the night and a full moon, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Liciano Pavarotti with Maestro Zubin Mehta presented an eving of arias, songs and medleys.  History was made.

For the 6,000 fortunate people who had the opportunity to watch history unfold, many wished to share that moment and fortunately the recording of the special performance was released, as was the DVD.

When I listen to Pavarotti’s “Rondine al nido”, I just get teary inside because it’s sung so beautiful.  And then listening to Jose Carreras “Core ‘ngrato’” and to hear that whimsical opening as it magically transitions to Carreras voice.  Wow!

I listen to this and just remember how much I treasure my classical and opera music collection.  A lot of them, I still have in cassette tapes when I first originally purchased them.

But sticking on the topic of classical music, many wonder how I became interested in it.  And believe it or not, it was through the film “Pretty Woman”. One of my favorite films of all time and I love the part when Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) and Vivian (Julia Roberts) were watching Verdi’s “La Traviata” and Edward says to Vivian:

People’s reactions to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic.
They either love it or they hate it.
If they love it, they will always love it.
If they don’t, they may learn to appreciate it,
but it will never become part of their soul.

And then you saw Vivian’s face as she watched “La Traviata”.  This scene captured my heart that I purchased “La Traviata” immediately and from that point, opera has become a part of my soul.

And going back to the three tenors, listening to this album just touches my soul.  Just watching and hearing them again is just fantastic now as it was back then.

It’s a moment time that will be remembered and listening to the songs again, I will definitely will miss Pavarotti’s presence and although I wish I could have watched this performance live, it was great to see the performance and to own it as well.

Beverly Hills That’s Where I Want To Be…Maybe?

My day started out with a friend informing me of former co-workers that were laid off from their jobs.

It is no surprise that we hear about economic woes and how things are growing costly for many corporations and employers and thus, these layoffs happen quite often and those past years of job stability, where can you find job stability?

But today, I was asked a few times how long I can stay in this area which has been heavily impacted by these economic times.  I seriously don’t know.  But I found it quite interesting is our discussion of, if I wanted to move to Beverly Hills or a city nearby.

I entertained the thought as I’ve enjoyed living in Southern California but we’ll see.

HEAT

Ughh….109 degrees today and the day before I think.  It’s incredibly hot and when you hear friends from the Bay Area talk about how hot it is… it’s hot.

But aside from this ridiculous heat, I have been watching the news on the various hurricanes and just hope we do not see a repeat of Katrina.  If anything, no repeat of any massive destruction caused by the hurricanes or high winds.

There are too many people in the South who are rebuilding or just finally getting over the loss of a home, family member or friend from Katrina and I just don’t want to see Gustav causing any major damage.  As of now, CNN reports has the hurricane over Cuba and becoming a Category 2.

Gov. Sarah Palin

I have been reading the various posts on cnn.com, various political segments on news shows,  current.com, twitter and a variety of message boards in regards to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin who was recently picked as John McCain’s running mate for the Presidential race.   I’ll keep my lips mum for now because I think it will be an interesting race.

The Brave One

I’ve been wanting to watch this film starring Jodi Foster. The Neill Jordan directed film is about Erica Bain, a radio host known for her essays who is a crime victim trying to cope the real world after she and her fiance (played by Naveen Andrews of “LOST” fame) and her were brutally assaulted by thugs during a romantic walk at the park.

Erica Bain, scared of the dirty filth that corrupts the city, purchases a gun.  And through a variety of events, Jodi Foster becomes a vigilante and takes matter on to her own hands.

You wonder how people cope after being brutally assaulted and I remember one of our own, here in the staff of J!-ENT who was a victim of an assault twice near the BART system.

The first time, he was beaten by a group of men who carried a baseball bat and hit him and punched him until he was down and they left just laughing as if they just won a game.

Of course, he chalks it up as being in the wrong place at the wrong time and of course, police told him there was no chance of them being caught.

His second time was a disgruntled man who didn’t like the fact that when going upstairs near the BART, my friend was directly in front of him and cussed at my friend for being in his way.  The man didn’t appreciate it and threatened him with a gun and teased that he could shoot him.

Of course, there are people who have been victimized much worse and I often wondered how many of these victims turn out to be like an Erica Bain.  Living in fear and wondering if they can go out again.

Granted, the story of “The Brave One” is just a bit much as Erica Bain becomes a vigilante that is reminiscent of The Punisher.

She takes on the filth on the streets but the head detective on the case is on pursuit of the vigilante, not knowing that the reporter that interviewed him for a radio show is the actual vigilante.

This by no means is an action film in a Punisher-esque style of way.  It’s about a woman who has been victimized and going through severe post-traumatic stress and in a unhealthy way, has found herself walking the streets (with a gun) at night and hoping someone bad to come to her, so she can exact revenge on them.

There is an interesting parallel to the manga/anime series “Death Note” as people are very supportive of the vigilante who is taking on the filth and the police and detective who go after her.  But the difference is where Kira plays god, Erica Bain has troubles of dealing with what she has done and when that urge to rid more filth of the street starts to consume her.

The film is very interesting as it shows a female vigilante as opposed to a Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood type of character.  Jodi Foster did a very good job as a victim-turned-vigilante.

If there were anything about the film that I felt was not needed is to see a badly beaten Foster/Andrews and then show short clips of the two nude and making love.  This was at the beginning of the film but felt it was not need.

But all in all, the film was what I expected from what I have seen from the trailer.  A very good performance by Foster.  As for the ending, in a way, I can say that I was expecting something similar to happen.  Not sure if it’s cliche but overall, a good film.

I was just looking at this image of Kim Kardashian and read about the nasty injury she received while kicking her foot away from a mirrored furniture or mirrored table.

But I just read Matt Mitovich’s interview with Kim Kardashian on TVGuide.com where the talent talks about her new film “Disaster Movie” starring Carmen Electra and most notably Kardashian talking about which behind she would like to have.  Suprising considering that she’s known for her behind already.

Now, I’m just wondering if Kim Kardashian can handle the pressure of working out long hours for her upcoming stint for “Dancing with the Stars”.  Hopefully the toe injury doesn’t affect things because her on the show would make for good TV.

But nevertheless, I’m glad to see her in high spirits and just read that her younger sister Chloe will be on Celebrity Apprentice.  Oh my…  If Chloe thought running a shop and being on the family reality TV show was stressful, would definitely be interested to see how she handles the Donald.