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Friday, August 24, 2012

Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained for the West Memphis Three

I just had a viewing marathon of the Paradise Lost Trilogy, which meant I spent more than six hours glued to the TV screen and consumed about 10 mgs of caffeine. FYI, the Paradise Lost Trilogy is the award-winning documentary series by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky for HBO. It went in depth on the triple murders that occurred in West Memphis Arkansas in 1993. Three 8-year-old boys were stabbed, mutilated (one of the victim's has had his penis cut off) and allegedly sexually assaulted then ditched in the shallow creek in the area known as Robin Hood Hills. Actual crime scene photos and footages were used, so be ready to be grossed out. In the aftermath of the crime, three teenage boys were arrested -Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr - whom locals and police believed to have connections with a satanic cult. After the first installment (Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills) was shown in 1996, the suspects gained sympathy from some quarters which later formed the Save Memphis Three support group or the Save WM3. The group believed that the suspects were arrested because they were the easiest fall guys around: They are from impoverished rural area and practiced "weird" lifestyle. Echols, believed to be the leader of the group, adored heavy metal bands particularly Metallica and wore black clothes and liked to paint his nails black. The documentary also showed the bungled police investigation - from lost blood scrapings to coerced confessions.
It's truly unbelievable watching the case unfolds, on how crime and punishment is sometimes meted out in America. Geez, it resembles a witch hunt in the medieval times! Believe me, the documentary is worth the sleep deprivation and caffeine overload. Plus, Metallica songs are interspersed throughout the series so expect your auditory nerve to take a trip down the great '90s (James Hetfield et al., o brothers, where art thou?). On a side note, I say it was uncharacteristically generous of the band to allow their songs to be used in the documentary. I heard a rumor that during their concert here in Manila back in '93 even their front acts (the late Karl Roy and Razorback, I think) paid for their tickets. LOL Talk about greedy flies! Ok, back to Paradise. The trio were released from prison in August 19 last year arguably due to the showing of this film. Presently, rewards are being offered for some up to US200,000, for the capture of the real suspect/s. Hmmmm, maybe Metallica will join the hunt just for the money. Happy hunting, guys!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Robert "Blair Witch" Carabuena apologized; was doused, cursed and hospitalized in one day

Robert "Blair Witch" Carabuena finally showed his face in public today after insulting and manhandling MMDA enforcer Sonny Fabros last week. The incident was caught on cam by TV5, and eventually went viral. Pinoy netizens made Carabuena a social networking pariah in no time, forcing him to close his Facebook among other online accounts. Obviously his Volvo didn't earn him any pogi points with the irate public hehehe. Media reports say Carabuena went to the MMDA office earlier today and read a public apology to Fabros. MMDA Chair Tolentino, however, said they will still pursue the criminal complaint against him. Likewise, his victim didn't accept the apology. Fabros said in a TV interview that he didn't feel Carabuena was sincere in his apology. Hmmm, hindi na-impress si Manong Sonny sa humble pie image ng Ateneo grad na si Blair Witch. Later on, on his way to the prosecutor's office to file his counter affidavit, Carabuena reportedly was cursed and doused with water. Lucky for him mineral water daw yung isinaboy at di galing sa kanal. Allegedly, he was rushed to the hospital after his day in court. Tskk, tssk Carabuena was given a dose of his own medicine apparently.