FICG27: Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara

The Inauguration of the 27th Guadalajara International Film Festival was held last night at Auditorio Telmex (a familiar venue), and thanks to a ticket donation made to the consulate, I found myself attending my very first red carpet event!

The week-long gala, held each March in Guadalajara, is considered to be the most prestigious film festival in Latin America.

TJ was able to attend last year's event, and had a blast. Something about sitting right behind Willem Dafoe. The Green Goblin! I was jealous. This year he left the tickets for someone else, wanting to share the wealth. Oddly, there were no takers, so he giddily snagged the tickets at the last minute and we both got to go.

Sadly, there were no Willem Dafoe sightings, but we did lay eyes on cutie Kuno Becker, whom I have never heard of but made the ladies go wild.

A different country is selected as the Festival's "Invited Guest" each year, and this time around the honor fell to the United Kingdom (TJ tells me that Israel took the reins last year).

After a brief awards ceremony in which Mexican actor Gabriel Retes received the Silver Mayahuel award and Cuban-American actor Andy Garcia (Oceans 11, Godfather III, The Untouchables) received the Ibero-American Mayahuel award, British directer Mike Leigh was presented with the Guadalajara International Award.

Brief remarks were made by British Ambassador to Mexico Judith Macgregor, after which Mike Leigh's film, Another Year, played for a full house. The film explores the lives of a happily married couple whose friends and family are experiencing love, loss, loneliness, and emotional despair...sometimes all at once. Throughout the film, the husband and wife prove to be the rock for a myriad of characters who ultimately find no resolution. And why should they? Real life doesn't reach a satisfying conclusion. We all simply struggle through just another year at a time.

California Dreams

Uh-oh. I've done it again. I've somehow managed to forget to want to blog. Bear with me as I correct this gross negligence and play catch up.

*Ahem.*

On September 1st we made yet another outing to Auditorio Telmex, this time to partake in some California Dreams with Katy Perry.

And let me just say right now that this...THIS...was The. Best. Concert. EVER.

In a move that was completely out of character since moving to Mexico, I did not bring my camera to the concert. This was partly due to the fact that I've been designated as the unofficial (i.e. not paid for my talents) photographer at work, and at any given time I find that the camera is at home and the charger is at work, or vice versa. Another contributor is that our new housekeeper likes to move things around. I'm talking finding-camera-chargers-under-the-bathroom-sink-behind-the-toilet-paper, EPIC moving things around.

So, on this night of nights with Katy Perry, I was forced to depend on the kindness of strangers. And who is stranger than my friends? Ha! Accompanying us on the trip to Candyland were our friends Genaro and Antonio. Both brought cameras. Both were very, very late in posting their photos on Facebook. Lame, guys. Very lame. Okay. They posted their photos two weeks ago. Half of the lame (and blame) belongs to me.

As I am wont to do, I pre-gamed the concert. You can infer from that all you want about my parking lot activities, and I'll neither confirm nor deny your accusations. But what I mean to say is that I Wikipedia'd the set list for the show in advance so that I could create the most awesomest Katy Perry playlist on my iPod.

Wiki didn't let me down, and what they showed is what we got:

California Dreams Setlist:

Teenage Dream

Hummingbird Heartbeat

Waking Up in Vegas

Ur So Gay

Peacock

I Kissed a Girl

Circle the Drain

E.T.

Who Am I Living For

Pearl

Not Like the Movies

The One That Got Away

Thinking of You

Hot n Cold

Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)

Firework

Encore

California Girls

The show begins with a video segment in which a bored Katy is working at a butcher shop. She is fired for her lack of energy, and on her way home stumbles upon a bakery where she falls in love with the Baker's Boy. She returns home that evening, falling into a deep sleep where she dreams about needing to follow the Candyland road in search of her missing pet, runaway Kitty Purry.

Along the way, additional video segments and on-stage interludes helped to create a vibrant picture of what life within this innocent, playful, sexually charged (yes, you can be all three at once) Candyland is like.

Highlights of the show include:

• A character named "Slot," who's name sounded remarkably like "Slut," helping to introduceWaking Up in Vegas
• Mimes giving Katy a "special" brownie that hindered her good judgement, leading the way to Ur so Gay and Peacock
• Upon realizing that the brownie has turned her into a Catwoman, Katy mouthed "What-the-F---?", which segued into...
• The most incredible laser/light show ever during E.T.
• Katy riding a cotton candy cloud to the cheap seats, where she performed Thinking of You
• A dozen or so costume changes occurring on-stage during Hot n Cold, by way of sheets, boxes, and glitter storms

Katy is of course reunited with her pal Kitty Purry just in time for the grand finale. And what of the Baker's Boy? Why, he greets her with fresh baked goods just as she awakens from her candy land dreams, of course!

With its numerous wardrobe changes, tongue-in-cheek humor, lighting effects, lack of a political agenda, and (uncommon among other shows that try for the same) cohesive storyline, this is one show that I won't soon forget.

Nothing more to say other than that I hope this sees renewed life as a DVD/Blu-Ray release once the tour concludes.

Aphrodite

Okay...so there was one last thing standing between me and Ricky Martin...

Tonight we made a joyous return to Auditorio Telmex to catch Kylie Minogue as she nears the conclusion of the North American leg of her Aphrodite tour. Only five dates left! Will you catch one?

Kyle makes her Guadalajara debut

Kylie Minogue should be Madonna. She really, really should be. Both are blonde (sometimes). Both are very popular within the gay community. Both are popular internationally. Both sewed the seeds of stardom in the 80s (Kylie with "Loco-Motion," Madonna with "Everybody"...and let's face it, who remembers "Everybody"?). Both are well into the latter half of their lives/careers (though Kylie is ten years Madonna's junior). Both put on one hell of a show. And yet, somehow, Kylie never quite wove her way into the tapestry of the American mainstream. Though her new album certainly comes close.

In a recent blog post, I discussed how a couple of events this month have mirrored events from my past and have therefore caused me to think about other aspects of my life. Kylie's Aphrodite tour is no exception. Though I have never seen her in concert before, hearing the vocal talents of Ms. Minogue always causes me to flash back to two key moments in my life.

1: During my time in the Walt Disney World College Program, as I was just coming to terms with who I am and who I wanted to be, my friend Jason introduced me to a lot of new music. Amidst the piles of CDs I would listen to during that six month period was Kylie's Fever. It became a favorite, and still is. That album reminds me of a time in my life when everything was new, nothing was certain, and the ignorance of youth was malleable.

2: When we travel to Paris to visit our friends Yann and Charles (TJ, coincidentally, met Yann prior to our relationship while said Parisian was in the midst of his own Walt Disney World College Program experience), we inevitably end up watching a Kylie Minogue concert video. The French LOVE Kylie. On our first visit, we literally could not escape the constant playing of "I Should Be So Lucky," no matter where in the city we went, and despite the fact that by this point the song was, well, really old. It's ok. I love that song. It reminds me of how lucky I am to have someone like TJ who can put up with all of my caca. It reminds me of how lucky we are to have such great friends abroad that we are able to visit, and who are able to visit us in return (Um, guys? When are you coming to Mexico?!?!?).

Unfortunately, that particular song wasn't lucky enough to make it onto the set list tonight. Here's what DID make the cut:

Set List

"Aphrodite"

"The One"

"Wow"

"Illusion"

"I Believe in You"

"Cupid Boy"

"Spinning Around"

"Get Outta My Way"

"What Do I Have to Do?"

'Everything is Beautiful"

"Slow"

"Confide In Me"

"Can't Get You Outta My Head"

"In My Arms"

"Looking For An Angel"

"There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)"

"Love At First Sight"

"Can't Beat the Feeling"/"If You Don't Love Me"

"Better the Devil You Know"

"In Your Eyes"

"Better Than Today"

"Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)"

Encore

"On a Night Like This"

"All The Lovers"

Can We Just Take a Moment to Discuss Copyright Infringement?

Thanks to tonight's show, I have a third Kylie memory. Wherever the Foreign Service takes us, Kylie's music will always remind me of our friend Genaro. As I have said before, Genaro's a great guy that has gone out of his way to show us the sights, whether it be a restaurant, museum, or musical production. And tonight was no exception. He snagged these tickets for us months ago.

He's dying to take us to the Ballet Folklórico. That will likely be the subject of a future blog.

But first, how would you like to hear about our adventures in Mexico City with Ricky Martin?

This Is Us

Barely two week had passed since TJ and I dragged our sick carcasses to Auditorio Telmex to see an even sicker Enrique Iglesias, and yet last night we found ourselves returning there to watch the Backstreet Boys in one of the final performances of their "This Is Us" world tour.

We weren't sick this time. Fortunately, neither were the boys, and they sang and danced their hearts out to a nearly sold out crowd.

But this was not our first experience with the BSB.

On September 17, 2004 the Backstreet Boys and Boyz II Men performed a benefit concert to raise money for the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund at the House of Blues in Orlando. Brooke Hogan was the opening act. She was sporting red hair extensions that looked horrendous and weren't glued in very well. But the two boy bands were amazing...and complete. In June 2006, Kevin Richardson left the BSB to pursue other interests. If not for that ridiculously active hurricane season in Central Florida, we would have never seen the band perform as a complete unit. Thanks, Mother Nature!

Alas, the remaining BSB have gone on to record two respectably successful albums, and Kevin was never heard from again. Kind of like when Wil Wheaton left Star Trek: The Next Generation.

"This Is Us"

Set List

"Everybody"

"We've Got It Goin' On"

"PDA"

"Quit Playin' Games With My Heart"

"As Long As You Love Me"

"This Is Us"

"Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely"

"All I Have To Give"

"She's A Dream"

"Nunca Te Hare Llorar (I'll Never Break Your Heart)"

"The Call"

"The One"

"Bigger"

"Shape of My Heart"

"More Than That"

"Undone"

"Incomplete"

"Larger Than Life"

"All of Your Life (You Need Love)"

"Bye Bye Love"

"If I Knew Then"

"I Want It That Way"

Encore

"Straight Through My Heart"

Joining us for our second BSB encounter were several friends and coworkers, two of whom are pictured here...and all of whom were completely horrified when Brian Littrell made the observation that the "boys" had been together for 18 years. "Eighteen years? Oh my god! I was barely a teenager then!" was the type of thought that ran through our aging heads at that very moment. Notice the look of shock on my face. Yes. We will call it that, instead of just a goofy grin.

But watching the concert, and seeing that they are still willing and able to get out there and shake their moneymakers regardless of their increasing age is more a reminder of how great life is than it is of how horrible those new wrinkles and gray hairs are.

I have to wonder, though, if that's a fair comparison. I mean, yes, my life is far better now than it was 18 years ago. Hell, 18 months ago. But unlike the BSB, I'm not now, nor have I ever been, nor am I likely ever to be, a multi-millionaire or a teen idol.

...and don't get me wrong. Those wrinkles and gray hairs suck.

BSB...still Larger than Life

Guadalajara is the fifth-to-last stop on a tour that has spanned over 120 performances, 5 continents, and 1.5 years.

The boys must be tired, but they can't rest yet. They are about to embark on a multi-city tour with the New Kids on the Block, aptly called NKOTBSB.

Will it come to Mexico? Time will tell!

In the meantime, enjoy a small sample of last night's festivities.

Euphoria

Euphoria

1. (n.) - a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being, sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania.

2. (N). - an ongoing tour by Enrique Iglesias in support of his current album of the same name. The tour officially commenced on January 20, 2011 in Puerto Rico.

Enrique Iglesias is the type of artist that I've always had a passing appreciation for, but didn't pay much attention to until moving to Mexico.

Don't get me wrong; I have enjoyed a handful of popular singles that were released in the United States to critical and commercial acclaim ("Rhythm Divine," "Bailamos," "Be With You," "Do You Know?," "Hero," "Escape"), but he was little more than the singer that could be really cute if not for that mole.

And then he ditched the mole and was, of course, gorgeous. But I still didn't know a lot about his music.

When we moved to Guadalajara in November, I started seeing a lot of posters (like the one above) advertising the Euphoria tour. Being a concert lover, I thought it would be fun to go, even if I wasn't as familiar with him as I am with other artists. But we already have plans to see the Backstreet Boys, Lady GaGa, and Kylie Minogue later this spring, and regardless of what any of you may think about exchange rates, living in Mexico isn't saving us any money. And so it was decided that we would sit this one out.

A few weeks ago, I heard the dirtiest song on the radio while driving to work and, being as inappropriate as I am, took an immediate liking to it. For those of you living stateside, you may or may not know the song as "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)," but on this side of the border, the DJ's have no qualms playing a slightly more explicit version. It wasn't until returning home that evening that I realized Enrique was the artist with the potty mouth. And so I came to love him that much more. Even so, thoughts of the concert had faded at this point, and it came as no small surprise when I learned earlier this week that TJ had snagged a couple of tickets for last night's performance at Auditorio Telmex as a special surprise for me. I guess those Valentine's chocolates really paid off this year!

It was a full house at Auditorio Telmex

Since I was home with a cold yesterday, and because I like to be prepared for concerts, I managed to track down the set list on Wikipedia and promptly set about downloading the songs that weren't currently in my iTunes library. That's when I discovered that Enrique is responsible for several Spanish-language songs I've been hearing and enjoying (but not quite understanding) on the radio these past three months, including "Cuando me Enamoro," which I have been affectionately calling "Cuando Eva Perón," because it, despite not making sense, and knowing it was incorrect, was all my ears were hearing. And because I've apparently been living under a large rock, I was unaware that he is also responsible for the English tracks "I Like It" and "Heartbeat."

And there you have it. Whether I knew it or not, I already loved 10 songs on a 14-song setlist. I knew this was going to be amazing.

And it was.

Euphoria Set List

"Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)"

"Heartbeat"

"No Me Digas Que No"

"Rhythm Divine"

"Bailamos"

"Por Amarte"

"Experiencia Religiosa"

"Lloro Por Ti"

"Cuando Me Enamoro"

"Be With You"

"Dímelo" ("Do You Know")

"Heroe"

"Escape"

"I Like It"

Enrique took the stage at 10:03pm, just as the Kings of Leon song "Sex on Fire" came to a conclusion over the auditorium's sound system. Do I think this was a coincidence? Enrique knows he's hot, sooo...no, no I don't.

Like most concerts, Euphoria started late. Unlike most artists, Enrique Iglesias actually apologized for this, explaining that he was sick. OMG...just like me! I think from now on I'll pretend that he gave me this cold.

And even if he didn't give it to me, there were certainly plenty of opportunities for him to pass it on to others. Despite filling the auditorium to capacity with star-crazed fans, this popular performer is not afraid of audience interaction. He invited a family of three to the stage as he performed "Por Amarte" and "Experiencia Religiosa..." and then shared a tequila shot with them. He followed this by bringing a younger boy up on stage to provide assistance with the ballad "Lloro Por Ti." Thankfully, no tequila was issued. Audience participation culminated during the encore with a very up close and personal dance with an audience member during "Heroe" that had just about everyone blushing.

TJ was somewhat put off by the concert due to Enrique's illness. Something about blowing his nose, drinking herbal tea, and lip syncing too much. I, on the other hand, was simply impressed that the old adage "The Show Must Go On!" held true. For instance, in my younger, more countrified days, I witnessed a sick Toby Keith down 4 shots of whisky to "soothe his throat" before declaring that he couldn't continue, issuing a rain check for two months later. And no amount of lip syncing done here could compete with the disaster that was Britney's Circus. Because here, there was a fair amount of actual singing.

Great song selection. Perfect mix of singing and audience interaction. It started late, but not Madonna-late. Beautiful venue. Good acoustics. Wonderful boyfriend who surprised me with all of the above.

Overall, a great concert experience.

If not for the colds that TJ, Enrique, and I share, it would have been euphoric.

And as time goes by, I'm sure this story will turn into "The night Enrique Iglesias gave me mono."