How I Met Marian / 19 Feb 2010

The theatre, Club Capitol, where Mi Primera Vez is playing, is along Las Ramblas, the most famous promenade in Barcelona.  It's near the Placa Catalunya end, and our hotel was only 2 blocks away. 

The Gifts
Gray long sleeve Boston College shirt, ordered from the bookstore

A pink I *heart* NY shirt, bought at the airport

Chocolates: premium M&Ms and Ghirardelli (from Target)

Cigarettes: Carton of Gold Marlboro Lights from the airport duty free

Bag of Halls Naturals Honey flavor, bought at the airport

And a card that says: "In Gratitude, For sharing your time and talent", signed "Dr. Piper, Staff, and Students of Pepsi University"

Before the play:
We arrived at Club Capitol a half hour before the start time of 2100 hrs.  All the stuff were in a nice green gift bag (again, from Target).  I asked the person at the drink counter if we can leave the gift for Marian and she directed us to the ushers, 2 very nice young women (one whose name is Prajna).  I had a shot of vodka from the bar before we approached the nice usherettes.  We told them that we are from the US and we just want to leave the gift bag but they said just wait after the play because Marian is very nice.  Prajna even went to the dressing room to tell Marian that 2 American weirdo fans were there.  When we were already seated, another lady, probably the stage manager or something, approached us and asked us to wait for Marian after the play.

After the play:
So we waited right outside the dressing room door, and we were the only 2 standing there.  Bart, Fran, and Inma all came out and smiled at us.  And then... the door opened and Marian walked out, smiling at us.

Us:  Hola, Marian!
MA: Hola!
Us: Hablas ingles?
MA: A little

Actually, her English was really good.  We told her that we are from the US and brought her something.  I also said, like the dork that I am, that I've never done this before (i.e., approach a celebrity).  She said she loves receiving gifts, and she really went through the gift bag like a little kid on Christmas morning. 

On the BC Shirt: She said it's very soft and she would want to wear it the following day.  I forgot to remind her that eagles (BC mascot, printed on the shirt sleeve) means aguila in Spanish, which her last name Aguilera was probably derived from
On the I *heart* NY shirt: She doesn't have that one yet.  She said she was in NY "a long time ago, when she was 17" - which would make it 1994/95.  Hey, I still lived in NYC during those years... maybe we already met.
On the cigarettes: We asked her if it's the right brand, and she said yes.  But she said she's trying to quit, so we told her to share it with her friends.
On the chocolates: She said she loves chocolates (rather excitedly).  We said that chocolates in Barcelona are better (really) but we wanted to get her something American.  She said she'd never heard of Ghirardelli, so we explained to her that it's a famous chocolate from San Francisco.  She said she's been to SF and she really liked it.
On the Halls cough drops: She looked at it with a WTF? face (but nicely), and we told her it's for her cold.

Marian on the missed gift
I told her that I wanted to get her a bottle of wine from Napa, California.  She said "Asi?" and looked really excited, and then looked disappointed when I told her that we couldn't find any at the duty free. Next time, Marian. 

Marian On Barcelona
We told her we love Barcelona and we've been there several times, and we like it better than Madrid.  I told her that my wallet was stolen in Madrid, and she told us to be careful around Barcelona too.  I told her that we were there May 2009 when FCB won the UEFA cup, and she didn't understand, so I said futbol.  And she said "Ah, Barca!" She said she and her entire family love the home team.  She also said that she's from a town about half an hour from the city, not a barrio, but a beach town.  (Like I didn't know!) 

Marian on LHDP
GF told her that she watched LHDP before I did.  And she got me hooked when Silvia flipped Pepa the finger.  I did a reenactment of that famous scene.  She laughed.

Marian On the play
She said she liked doing the play because it's fun and different.

Marian on her new 'do
GF commented on her new hairstyle.  She said she's not sure yet whether she would keep it as is or not, because it's harder to maintain.  She also said that there's just so much more one could do with long hair.

Marian on her international fans
We asked her if she's aware how many international fans she has, and she answered in the affirmative.  She said that she's been meaning to write a long letter expressing her gratitude, but she hasn't had the time. 

Marian on her call to Booker
I had another phone with a Spanish SIM card, and I told her it's my friend's birthday and she's a really big fan, and if she could wish her a happy birthday.  She said she's really shy, but okay.  So I dialed, the answering machine was on, so we left a message.  She was smiling all throughout the 15-second phone call.  Booker, you owe me 1.90Euros.

How I touched Marian's hair
There's a part in the play where confetti was used to simulate rain.  There was a confetti or 2 still sticking out her hair, so I very innocently brushed it away.  Really very innnocently.  I promise.

And then I tried to take a video of her greeting her American fans with my BBerry, but I forgot how to do it.  I did dorkily tell her that I'm so nervous.  So she said we could take the video tomorrow, since I was going back with Nika Chika.  I then took pictures of her and GF.

And then she said it's really very nice meeting us, she gave each of us a hug and 2 kisses (the Spanish dos besos), and we said "Encantada tambien".  She smelled really nicely.

So that's it for that 1st meeting.  I was sober, I was relatively normal.  And she was magical.  She really was.  Gracias, Marian!

First bad, shaky, grainy clip of Marian has been posted at the Audio Visual Department.

¡Por favor, resuciten a Silvia!

by Dr Pied Piper

Article from El Pais, 24 October issue, about the campaign to save Silvia. If you want to read the original Spanish text, you can find it here.

Here is the English translation - all inconsistencies and mistranslations are solely my fault.

Please, Resurrect Silvia!

An international campaign on the Internet to bring back a lesbian character who died in "Los Hombres de Paco"

By ELIZABETH GALLO - Madrid - 24/10/2009

"Regresen a Silvia". "No maten a Silvia, por favor". "¡Viva Silvia!" "¡Resucita!". "Silvia, forever". Similar messages written in Castilian, English, Italian, Swedish and even Japanese, received from the five continents, can be viewed on YouTube. They are part of an internet campaign to request the return of the lesbian character,  played by Marian Aguilera, in the Antena3 series Los hombres de Paco. Silvia was killed at the hands of the Camorra in the last episode of season seven. But she was not the only one. Because her marriage to Pepa (Laura Sanchez) held in a quaint country house turned into a bloodbath. The following also died in the ambush: Quique (Enrique Martinez), Nelson (Jimmy Castro) and Montoya (Aitor Luna). However, none of the other three deaths has been the subject of such an international campaign.

The dramatic end of Chapter 104, aired in July, caused a public outcry, orchestrated by followers of Pepsis, an acronym for the names of the two lovers. The campaign took those responsible for Los Hombres by surprise. "We are impressed. It was incredible the number of postcards and emails we've received from Brazil, USA, Serbia, Colombia, New Zealand and Taiwan," says Alex Pina, executive producer of the series.

But the desire to "give life" to the love story as requested by the fans in the video will not be fulfilled. The whole team is already working on the next installments in the series to air in January, "modernized," anticipates Pina. And the resurrection of this woman who, for the better part of the series, played a heterosexual who was married to and later divorced from Lucas (Hugo Silva); then had a relationship with Montoya and finally ended in the arms of Pepa - is not in the minds of the writers . Among other reasons was that Aguilera herself decided to "leave" and seek a "change of scenery," says Pina, recalling that the actress had been in Los hombres de Paco since opening in 2005. By contrast, her widow, Pepa, will be have room for other storylines.

David Molina, director of the series, talks of the website afterellen.com, a U.S. portal (Piper's note: they referred to AE as a blog...) dedicated to analyzing and commenting on how the media portrays lesbian and bisexual women. In one of their forums there appeared a review about a Spanish series which featured a lesbian plot "from the romantic side." Spaniards also responded with various blogs, forums, and a plethora of fan fictions to keep the PepSi story alive.

Antena 3 capitalized on the international followers of the series; soon a YouTube channel called Pepsienglish emerged. International fans eventually discovered the show, especially the PepSi sequences, "with subtitles in English and then in other languages like French and German," says Molina. The director argues that some Web forums have also picked up the affair between Macarena (Patricia Vico), Esther (Fátima Baeza), the physician and nurse in Hospital Central (Telecinco), although with less impact. The climax came last Saturday when an ad appeared on a nationwide announcement with fans from more than 50 countries thanking the actresses Aguilera and Sanchez for their work. "We lack words to express the emotional impact Silvia and Pepa and their love story have had on our lives," says the advertising paid for by money raised through forums and initiatives in digital broadcasting. "Pepsi stands out as a portrait of women in love by being truly unique, realistic and positive, and above all provide hope," the ad further says.

And the sentiment is summarized by C.G., a Los Hombres fan ... and user of the blogs: "It was time for a TV show to portray poetic and romantic relationship between two girls."

Fluff piece, if there ever was one.  Why weren't Marian and Laura interviewed, especially since this article was all about them.  Why was there no mention of "the marketing meeting with executives" that was flaunted by an AE poster?  How long before this article blows over and forgotten, except by birds whose cages are lined with old newspapers containing the 1,000Euro ad?

 Marian Aguilera, Los Hombres de Paco

On Letting Go...

Reluctance

Out through the fields and the woods
And over the walls I have wended;
I have climbed the hills of view
And looked at the world, and descended;
I have come by the highway home,
And lo, it is ended.

The leaves are all dead on the ground,
Save those that the oak is keeping
To ravel them one by one
And let them go scraping and creeping
Out over the crusted snow,
When others are sleeping.

And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,
No longer blown hither and thither;
The last lone aster is gone;
The flowers of the witch hazel wither;
The heart is still aching to seek,
But the feet question "Whither?"

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?

- Robert Frost

Cinema Paradiso

I'm taking a break from PepSi world to write about a movie that I absolutely adore. This is probably one of the best movies ever. Today, I've been listening to the soundtrack by Ennio Moricone. The music is very sweet, innocent, and almost (but not quite) makes a virtue out of emotions and sadness and all that mushy stuff meant for the weak and the romantic fools.

The first time Toto fell in love, Alfredo told him a story:

Once upon a time, a king gave a feast. And there came the most beautiful princesses of the realm. Now, a soldier, who was standing guard, saw the king's daughter go by. She was the most beautiful one, and he immediately fell in love with her. But what could a poor soldier do when it came to the daughter of the king? Well, finally, one day, he managed to meet her, and he told her that he could no longer live without her. The princess was so impressed by his strong feelings that she said to the soldier: "If you can wait 100 days and 100 nights under my balcony, then at the end of it, I shall be yours." Damn! The soldier immediately went there and waited one day. And two days. And ten. And then twenty. And every evening, the princess looked out of her window, but he never moved. During rain, during wind, during snow, he was always there. The bird shat on his head, and the bees stung him, but he didn't budge. After ninety nights, he had become all dried up, all white, and the tears streamed from his eyes. He couldn't hold them back. He no longer had the strength to sleep. All that time, the princess watched him. And on the 99th night, the soldier stood up, took his chair, and went away.

The original US version of the movie did not explain what the story meant but in the extended DVD, Toto gave his interpretation to Alfredo later in the film:

... In one more night, the princess would have been his. But she also could not possibly have kept her promise. And it would have been terrible. He would have died. This way, however, at least for 99 days, he was living under the illusion that she was there, waiting for him.

My interpretation, however, was different and a bit more realistic: I think the soldier finally realized that IF the princess really loved him, she would not have watched him go through everything that he went through; he would have wanted her to love him for who he was, not because he waited for a 100 days. Actually, not because of any particular reason at all. And so he walked away because a love that is given under any pre-condition is not a love worth receiving anyway. Yep, dude, she just wasn't into you.

The soundtrack is simply amazing, so here it is: Cinema Paradiso

At the end of the film, Toto watched a collection of censored kisses clips which Alfredo had saved and spliced together. I understand that Otalians are hoping for something similar when the show ends this Friday. And I say, "Dream on."

Un Poco de Chocolate

by Dr. Pied Piper

Un Poco de Chocolate

If you want to watch the clip in HD without downloading it, the link is at the end of this post)

Let me preface this by saying I did not watch the entire movie, nor did I care. This is also a good example of why I love Silvia Castro and not Marian Aguilera. Because not even MA's hotness could force me into watching this [insert profanity here].

I don't really know what the whole story is about, except Daniel Brühl and Héctor Alterio are in the lead roles. I think it might be about someone getting old and, in the twilight of his years, starts getting glimpses of the people from his past.

Marian plays Rosa. She is wearing the same dress in the entire movie (except for the under-the-sheets scene). The SAME DRESS! Like the green outfit in Seres Queridos. Costume designers all over Spain are probably in love with her! Rosa's main schtick is riding the tranvia (streetcar). Sometimes she visits Dirty Old Man under the sheets.

One time, Dirty Old Man rides on the train with her, then puts his hand between her legs. VERY, VERY CREEPY SCENE.

She also shows up at a family picnic with all of Dirty Old Man's other imaginary friends.

By the way the other old guy is pouring his drink, I would guess they are in Asturias and he is drinking cidra (cider) and the mountain behind them is part of the Picos de Europa. Rosa and Dirty Old Man dance and the others join them. Then Dirty Old Man gets home and probably dies. Or there's a snowstorm in his room, I'm not sure, I don't care. THE END.

MA could have phoned in her appearance in this film. She didn't really do much, nor could she do much except look pretty.

Roll end credits. You might ask yourself, "WTF? That's all of MA's screen time?" Sadly, the answer is yes.

Watch clip in HD

The Lion of the Senate

 by Dr. Pied Piper

Senator Edward Moore Kennedy died last night after a long battle with brain cancer.

Compared to his brothers, the news of his death seems pretty tame. Among his brothers, he’s the only one who died a natural death, although he did come close several times in the most unnatural manner. And with this, we close the book - the final, extended chapter – of Camelot.

They called him “The Lion of the Senate”; for us, he was simply “Teddy” our senator. The first senator I ever voted for. To say he was beloved in Massachusetts is to undermine the degree of affection its people held him with, and the depth of grief and loss they now experience. For my generation, Senator Kennedy was the only constant senator we ever had (although I don’t live in MA anymore). His death is personal.

So for today, PepSi University dares to venture outside the imaginary world of San Antonio into the real world of real pains and real triumphs, of real deaths and real grief, of real affection and real gratitude.

If you’ve never been a resident of the great state of Massachusetts, you probably would not understand why his death saddens me so much. But you have to understand that the Kennedys are revered in their home state; they rank pretty high up there, along with the Red Sox, the Patriots & Celtics, clam chowdah, and the Catholic Church. We cried when John Jr. died, we cringed when Michael was accused by his baby sitter, we waited with bated breath when William was going through his rape trial… For those of us who never knew them, Jack was still one of the greatest presidents ever and his assassination is as real to us as it was 46 years ago, and Bobby was the greatest president that never was and the simple white cross adorning his grave speaks to the humility of the man. And Ted…Ted was our advocate and knight in beaten armor.

Yes, we unashamedly and unapologetically revered the Kennedys.

Senator Kennedy was not a saint – he was the foremost target of right-wing attacks, humorous or otherwise. The mention of his name brought out the rabid nature of his critics. His own personal history rightly justifies them: of Mary Jo Kopechne and Chappaquiddick, of bar hopping in Florida with his nephew William Kennedy Smith, of drinking and the (assumed and stereotypical) Irish predisposition to alcohol, of his liberal politics and its humongous cost…

But his life was also the very story of man: our fall from grace and own search for salvation. If there’s some sort of bookeeping when we die, I can only hope that my good deeds will outweigh the bad. I hope I will be remembered, if I will be remembered at all, as a good person, in spite and because of myself.

So in the celestial accounting system, I would like to believe that Senator Kennedy closed the books with a positive balance. And his personal history might have rightly justified his critics, but it should have also silenced them into admiration - because his accomplishments put us all to shame, his eloquence leaves us all in awe, his affection and good intentions have put us all in a better world.

I am not going to do a laundry list of his legacy; you can go to http://www.boston.com/, http://www.cnn.com/, http://www.nytimes.com/, or http://www.washingtonpost.com/ for that. Just know that his legislations, although he was born affluent and privileged, focused on the poor and the marginalized members of society.

For every black person enjoying the Boston Common at this moment, for every senior citizen waiting for their meal on wheels, for every child who dreams of a college education, for every teenager who survives on minimum wage, for every family member who needs to stay home to take care of the sick, for every member of the US military wondering what they fuck they're doing in Iraq… For our generation which has been raised in material abundance and selfish aspirations and Reaganistic disdain for the poor, we thank him for showing us the best in politics and the salvation in our sinful humanity.

He said of his brother Bobby: “My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, but be remembered simply as a good and decent man who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.’’

It’s our turn now to say the same of him: he was a good and decent man, in spite and because of himself.

Thank you, Senator Kennedy.

The Darkish Side of the PepSi Force

by Dr. Pied Piper 


*** This is an editorial and should not be construed in any way as the collective view of PepSi University's distinguished faculty***

While the original films describe the dark side as a general concept of evil, the prequel films and Expanded Universe material elaborate on its nature, explaining that it may stem from all strong emotions — even a positive emotion like love, when it fuels associated negative feelings like jealousy, possessiveness, and fear of loss. To avoid this pitfall, the Jedi forsake all passion and emotional attachment, while the evil Sith draw strength from their overpowering feelings

I am very concerned with the situation in the PepSi Empire. It seems the Darkish Side has taken over and with its emergence has displaced the light hearted, intelligent, innocent spirit of the PepSi Knights. Having dabbled in the dark side myself, I could honestly say that I am very concerned as this story parallels the history of the Galactic Republic from far, far away:

In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, a teenaged Anakin begins to feel the pull of the dark side when he falls in love with Padmé Amidala; the Jedi Code forbids such strong emotional attachment as "the shadow of greed". His emotional conflict worsens when his mother is killed by Tusken Raiders, and he slaughters the entire tribe in a blind rage.

In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine manipulates Anakin's fear that Padmé, by now his secret wife, will die in childbirth to persuade him into becoming his Sith apprentice. Palpatine first tempts Anakin by challenging the dogmatic view of the world he had learned in the Jedi Temple ("'Good' is a point of view.")

When Palpatine promises that the dark side can prevent death, Anakin becomes his Sith apprentice, Darth Vader, and helps the Sith Lord massacre the Jedi and destroy the Galactic Republic. Mad with power, Vader uses the dark side to choke Padmé into unconsciousness when he suspects that she has betrayed him to Obi-Wan Kenobi, indirectly causing her death; ironically, the dark side brings on the very tragedy Anakin joined the Sith to prevent.

(All quotes from the mighty Wikipedia)

As a Silvialogist, I share the pain and sadness which afflicted everyone after the dramatic death of Silvia in episode 104. For a brief moment, I too entertained the idea that maybe, I could and should do something. But the reality is I cannot. It’s like fighting giant windmills and wooing Dulcinea: neither endeavor was predicated on something real.

Compared to posting a link to Marian’s boobies and giving her an extra name (i.e., as in Marian Effing Aguilera) which, I must admit, are both totally sophomoric and juvenile, I find the current “momentum” disturbing and actually… creepy.

The Dark Side can prevent death theory: by coordinating postcard campaigns, bombarding emails to anyone and everyone, including Agent Barbs, and taking an ad in a national Spanish newspaper (Good Lord!) in order to express one's gratitutude to MA & LS (which for some is designed to elicit some sort of response), the Darkish Side perpetuates the illusion that misplaced passion equals real gallantry and that both actresses somehow need our validation to feel good about themselves.

(BTW, postal service in Spain is kind of slow – last year, I sent a postcard to a friend in the US from Montserrat (Catalunya) and it took 3 months for the damn thing to arrive!)

While these actions seem chivalrous to some who have the arrogance or naïveté to think that they can unsolicitously affect change in the life of an actress 5,000 miles away, it seems a trifle obsessive to others. (And believe me, I know Obsessive!)

When did the PepSi Empire become all about Marian Aguilera? And how dare us think that she needs our rescuing? Sure, doing something, anything, is empowering. But that’s the key: it’s all about Power.
In a parallel to Starwars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – these actions could bring about another tragedy that the Silvians are desperately trying to circumvent: Marian could very well swear off any gay role, or any gay person, or any gay anything for that matter. Forever.

Do you want to "save" Silvia or do you want to "save" Marian Aguilera's LHDP gig? If the writers brought back Silvia but portrayed by a totally different actress, would you feel victorious?

There is a difference between being a consumer of news (e.g., looking at paparazzi pictures of Marian’s boobies), and becoming the news (e.g., taking out ads and dragging AE into it, calling and writing PepSi’s agents, email-bombing the studios, the producers, the writers, calling for press releases to "highlight the fight", etc.) while encouraging young, naive, impressionable kids into thinking that this behavior is totally okay. It is NOT okay. And the adults should know better.

A bit cliche, but still a powerful prayer:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Amen

We should not give up on the PepSi Empire and what it stands for, even if it takes us 3 movie sequels to take it back. And that is through continuing intellectual and academic discussions surrounding Pepa and Silvia (with some gratuitous booby pics when available, courtesy of Sith Pervey Piper, my evil twin).
That is the only way we can save the PepSi Empire and restore harmony in the force.

The sun may never set on the PepSi Empire, but it seems awfully cloudy in there right now.
_______________________

This article was originally published in the Journal of Quantitative Silvialogy: Pot Meets Kettle Edition, July 2009, pp 227-235



Next: “Ways to Snap Out of It” and “Silvialogists: Which Kind Are You?”