“My
funny valentine;
Sweet, comic valentine;
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable;
Unphotographable;
Yet, you’re my favourite work of art
Is your figure – less than Greek?
Is your mouth – a little weak?
When you open it to speak, are you smart?
Don’t change a hair for me;
Not if you care for me;
Stay, little valentine, stay!
Each day is Valentine’s Day”…
- Michelle Pfeiffer vocals Dave Grusin Keyboards from “The Fabulous Baker Boys”
OH WELL, it’s probably inevitable that my column has to fall on this day again, call it serendipity. A tinge of nostalgia perhaps, or maybe just a sentimental old fool revisiting the most iconic and most covered love song for lovers.
This is the day when “fools rush in”, when there is a sharp and dramatic increase in the sales of roses, chocolates, greeting cards, condoms, and occupancy of hotels, particularly drive-in motels.
This is also the day when the much vaunted defences of that preserved and cherished “virginity” are spread wide open and breached (pun intended).
The day when that philandering husband takes a deep breath, bites his tongue and gazes at his wrinkled, sagging and aging wife and takes her out on a date comforted with the thought that this atonement happens only once a year.
Meanwhile, on this day right on schedule, the so-called “running priest” Robert Reyes runs around with his posse of “idiots” knocking on the windows and doors of motels all over Metro Manila disturbing the occupants and telling them to come out “in the name of God”.
I’m pretty sure this kinky voyeuristic act giving people coitus interruptus gives Fr. Robert Reyes instant gratification for his suppressed libido. All in the name of God, of course.
Yes folks, it is indeed Valentine’s Day!
And from that free online encyclopedia a.k.a. the internet:
Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on Feb. 14. Originating as a Western Christian feast day honoring one or more early saints named Valentinus, Valentine’s Day is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country.
Valentine’s Day customsdeveloped in early modern England and spread throughout the English-speaking world in the 19th century. In the later 20th and early 21st centuries, these customs spread to other countries, but their effect has been more limited than those of Halloween, or than aspects of Christmas, (such as Santa Claus).
Due to a concentrated marketing effort, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in some East Asian countries with Chinese and South Koreans spending the most money on Valentine’s gifts.
In the Philippines, Valentine’s Day is called Araw ng mga Puso in much the same manner as in the West. It is usually marked by a steep increase in the price of flowers, particularly red roses.
Yes, Moi is not only a sentimental old fool but a silly romantic as well and have always associated Valentine’s Day with an obscure romantic comedy film which was shown in the late ‘80s.
The Fabulous Baker Boys is a 1989 American romantic comedy-drama musical film written and directed by Steve Kloves, and starring real-life brothers Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges as two brothers struggling to make a living as lounge jazz pianists in Seattle. In desperation, they take on a female singer, Michelle Pfeiffer, who revitalizes their careers, causing the brothers to re-examine their relationship with each other and with their music.
It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Michelle Pfeiffer), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Music, Original Score.
Film critic Roger Ebert described this film as “one of the movies they will use as a document, years from now, when they begin to trace the steps by which Pfeiffer became a great star.”
And you guessed it right; the main soundtrack of the movie is the jazz ballad My Funny Valentine sung by female lead Michelle Pfeiffer, in my book probably the best version of that classic love song.
You can’t get any more romantic and in the mood for Valentine’s Day than by listening to the fabulous and sexy Michelle Pfeiffer singing.
There is a scene in The Fabulous Baker Boys where Michelle Pfeiffer, wearing a slinky red dress, uncurls on top of a piano while singing Makin’ Whoopee. The rest of the movie is also worth the price of admission.
So Happy Valentine’s Day!/PN
