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The fiesta of San Isidro. Photo from johnsaylesbaryo.blogspot.com.

The John Sayles movie AMIGO, formerly titled Baryo, is now being edited in Bohol and the production needs musicians.

1. A very good cello player.
2. Tuba, trumpet, and trombone players to replace playing of an authentic-looking local fiesta band playing songs from 1900. The Manila players will need to play in a less professional way than they are capable of, to match the rural atmosphere of the fiesta.
3. A percussionist who can play cymbals and bass drum for that band, as well as traditional Filipino percussion instruments.
4. A lyre player, the lyre being the upright instrument that has no sharps and is played only in the key of C. Maybe a traditional baho (?) guitar player.

Surely we know someone, or someone who knows someone who knows someone. If you have any leads, please drop me a line in Comments and I’ll forward the information to the Sayles people. (Try not to waste their time, and above all, do not embarrass me or I’ll have your scalp.)

Chris Cooper as Colonel Hardacre in AMIGO, set in the Philippine-American War.

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Thanks for the leads! The Amigo crew will be in touch with you.

Roger Federer on the tram in Lisbon with kids. Photo from www.rogerfederer.com. I want that shirt. Anyone reading this in Estoril?

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This is for our friend Tennis Mike the stress bunny. Thanks to Ricky for the alert and the Germans for having a word for everything.

The Germans have always been good at coming up with words for those emotions we all feel but don’t have a name for: schadenfreude, for example, or angst. “Freizeitstresse” is the latest, a term that literally translates as “free-time stress”.

Millions of us, apparently, worry about whether we spend our spare time wisely. A consequence of feeling that we have so little of it is that we agonise over what we do with our precious, unscheduled hours. Do you feel that you have to achieve something even in your leisure time? On holiday, does simply doing nothing make you feel uncomfortable and twitchy? Have you ever spoilt your Saturday afternoon by worrying about whether you should be doing something imaginative with the kids or at a yoga class by yourself while you’re pounding the supermarket aisles? Freizeitstresse could be your problem.. . .Read the full article at the Times Online.

in Emotional Weather Report, today in the Star.

Photo from www.thepenguinparadetour.com.

Unfortunately photography is not allowed at the Little Penguins’ parade on Phillip Island. We did get to see their cousins, the Emperor and Gentoo penguins, at the Melbourne Aquarium. This Emperor is ready for his close-up. You can tell he’s an Emperor because his tux is haute couture.

My sister and I had a favorite penguin at the Central Park Zoo in New York. At feeding time the penguins would queue up for their meals, and he would get his fish, eat it, then go back to the end of the line for another fish. The person in charge would push him away, but he simply lined up again. A penguin with an existential bent.

If you’re going out today, remember that there are miting de avance all over the place and prepare to be inconvenienced. The price of democracy, people. Pay up.

Rainbow, Port Campbell, Victoria, Australia, 4 May 2010.

I cannot wait for this election to be over so I can hear myself think again. Every morning I am awakened by campaign vans roaming the neighborhood, blaring campaign jingles. We are exhorted to vote for their candidates to the tune of Bad Romance, We Will Rock You, Pokerface, You Spin Me Round and other pop hits, and what is the probability that the campaigning politicians actually got permission from Lady Gaga, Queen, Dead or Alive and the other copyright owners? FILSCAP, ASCAP, whoever is in charge, I hope you’re monitoring this. As for the noise pollution and the violation of our human right not to be awakened by campaign jingles causing the building to vibrate, we’re on our own.

Sometimes the vans park near my place and try to drown each other out. The funny thing is, I recognize the melodies but the sound quality is so bad I can’t make out the name of the politician on sale. It’s louder than Iron Man 2, except that Iron Man 2 is fun.

Speaking of which, I finally saw the movie yesterday. My friend says Robert Downey Jr makes narcissism sexy. Are you kidding? Robert Downey Jr could make not being sexy sexy. He can do anything! Please, he made Sherlock Holmes watchable. I’d like to see him in another romantic comedy—he was brilliant in Chances Are, Heart and Souls, and Only You, it’s the vehicles that let him down.

Mickey Rourke with a Russian accent is a great villain, but my favorite scuzzball is Sam Rockwell as Tony Stark’s competitor, a clueless man just dying to be cool.