Alternative (and bizarre) titles

Probably you've already watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off, haven't you? (It's one of my favorite 1980's comedies). But do you know what is the title of the movie here in Brazil? Curtindo a vida adoidado - something like Enjoying life insanely. What the hell? And how about the unforgettable 1970's series Charlie's Angels? As Panteras, i.e. The (Female) Panthers...

The "creativity" has no limits, as you can see. I think the mainly reason behind that weird, inaccurate renaming in Portuguese is an alleged commercial appeal. Local entertainment distributors have made up those titles because they take for granted that the ones fabricated by them would be able to attract bigger audiences than a bare translation would do. Recently, I've got puzzled by two of those... er... "inventive" names.

Truth - a James Vanderbilt's film, starring Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford, released in 2015 - has become Conspiração e Poder (or Conspiracy and Power) here in Brazil. Wouldn't it be easier and simpler just using the word Verdade (truth, in Portuguese)? Maybe I'm wrong but the acts of a team of journalists (and their consequences), as well as the media responsability, are the central theme of this movie. Verdade would be a proper title in Portuguese, since the storyline discusses, in a sense, the concept of truth in journalism.

The most bizarre renaming, however, is found in the series Black-ish.

The awesome ABC show has come to be Família Desajustada (i.e. Troubled Family or Dysfunctional Family). You gotta be kidding me...

Be a three-point shooter or die - the contemporary NBA's "dilemma"

When I was younger I used to play basketball, even living here in Brazil.

So what?

Well, it is surprising because, as you probably know, soccer is kind of a mandatory religion, when it comes to this tropical, peculiar country. So, every Brazilian - since their childhood - is condemned to "the curse of one-single-sports mindset".

What does it mean?

Let me give you some examples.

PE classes are nothing but impromptu soccer matches for schoolboys in the majority of educational institutions. Female students, on the other hand, play some sort of dodgeball (we call it "queimada"). In public places, small talks usually involve chatting about the last soccer games. Brazilian sports journalism is focused on soccer - 95% of the time. Need I say more?

Against all odds, however, I became a huge basketball enthusiast. And, of course, like the worldwide opinion, NBA is the most-beloved competition.

Naturally, I have my favorite players. John Wall, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Karl-Anthony Towns - this would be my ideal lineup. Each one, in my opinion, have brought some valuable, wonderfull and - at the same time - uncomplicated things to the game. DeRozan, by the way, is the best illustration of that.

Toronto Raptors' shooting guard has been presenting a nice, classic playing style on court; his moves remind me the 1980' ones (I started to see NBA broadcasts at that time), however, with the athleticism of the present-day guys. DeRozan's stats have proven his worth to the team and a large number of fans agree that he deserves to be called a star (speaking of which, he was elected to NBA All-Star Game four times - 2014, 2016, 2017 and this year).

But DeRozan's elegant "old-fashioned" way is changing a little. And it's necessary, if he wants to be even more important for his team (and even more prominent in the league). Being a good three-point shooter is crucial nowadays. He's realized it and his numbers around the perimeter show that.

In his first NBA season DeRozan tried, on average, 0.2 three-point field goals per game; in his fourth one, an increase to 1.5. Recently, he attempted 3.6 three-pointers per game in 2017-18 season. His efficiency behind the 3-point line is not that good yet, but the Raptors' player has learnt that his playing style must incorporate those shots, since many guards, forwards and even centers have been developing that ability.

It's not a secret. Every NBA team - even San Antonio Spurs - needs three-pointers, if they want to go ahead and, eventually, win the championship. I think it's not an exaggeration to say that NBA players have been facing a "dilemma": Be a three-point shooter or die.

Soccer players interviews: What a uselessness!

The amount of programs on Brazilian TV in which soccer is the one single subject discussed is unbelievable!

Besides the live broadcasts of a considerable amount of matches (played here or abroad), there is a profusion of shows where former athletes, journalists, commentators and some sort of "sporting pundits" talk (a lot) and (often) argue about the game, as if it was the most important stuff in the whole world.

It's not easy to find good information about other sports on local traditional media. People who loathe soccer, like me (but love basketball, volleyball, tennis, judo, skateboarding...), usually have a hard time watching Brazilian channels - even on pay-TV.

And why are there so many interviews with soccer players? I frankly can not see what is their point. What are those conversations for? Don't get me wrong, pal. I'm not saying that all soccer players are complete morons (even though some of them, definitely, are); I'm complaining because those interviews are repetitive, full of commonplaces and obviousness. Most of the players sound the same when they are talking!

Youtuber Lilly Singh made a hilarious video that may be kind of helpful now, I think. She is mocking interviews with athletes in general, in the North American context, but it's pretty similar to Brazil and its soccer players. Check it out:



As she said, at the moment of the interview, "every player literally turns into Captain Obvious and says nothing of value". But I agree with her: Athletes have other fantastic skills and "not everyone can be a great speaker and take great shots".

Before I forget: TV reporters also could improve their questions, couldn't they? 

"Fundamentalist atheist"?

This morning, on my Twitter account, I wrote about a topic that upsets me a little: Is there such a thing as "fundamentalist atheists"? With some small changes, here's what I posted on Twitter * :

I usually get kinda confused when I hear or read the expression "fundamentalist atheist".

OK, fine, I must admit that atheist people (like me) can be obnoxious, condescending, wannabe intellectuals and a little bit authoritarian sometimes. BUT, definitely,  we're not fundamentalists.

In my opinion, fundamentalist atheist sounds like a contradiction in terms because, strictly speaking, we, atheists, don't follow a so-called holy book that would be the fundament of our beliefs and thoughts.

So, if you want to criticize, irritate or simply offend atheists (no problem; it's part of the democratic coexistence), I suggest calling us "sectarian", or "intolerant", or "narrow-minded". (How about "pompous fucking bastards"?)

"Fundamentalist", however, is quite inaccurate in this case, I think.

_______________

* I posted a thread of tweets, of course!

Dear Madonna, that is not samba at all!

Everybody loves Madonna, don't they? Also called the "Queen of Pop", she became a show business icon during the two last decades of the 20th century. Even though she's not on the top of the best-selling singers' list currently, it's hard to not keep in mind her former renown, as well as her hits.

Speaking of her most popular songs, a few days ago I turned on the radio and La Isla Bonita was playing. I started to sing along when suddenly I realized that there was a substantial mistake in the lyrics. (Once that track was released in 1987, I took thirty years to notice the error. What a moron!).

She sings: 

"And when the samba played

The sun would set so high
Ring through my ears and sting my eyes
Your Spanish lullaby"

Wait a second... What? The whole tune has nothing to do with samba! We can hear Cuban drums and something like Caribbean tones, a Spanish acoustic guitar... However, the famous Brazilian beat is not on the menu. So why the hell did Madonna come up with the word samba? 

My guess: Many Americans (even nowadays) think that cha-cha, mambo, rumba, samba and other Latin rhythms are the same stuff; Latin America, in their opinion, has indistinguishable cultural traits from country to country - thus, who would care about the difference between salsa and merengue, or between cumbia and conga?

Well, I care. 

As a Latin American (as a Brazilian, to be more specific), I'm able to say: La Isla Bonita, despite its enchantment, is not samba at all!

Never read the comments, you fool!

My mantra from now on: Don't read the comments on social media. Don't read the comments on social media. Don't read the comments on social media. Don't read the comments... Off course, I'll never make comments again as well.

An admirable Brazilian song

Every single music lover knows: Samba is the most authentic genre of Brazilian music. Originated from African rhythms, samba is the cultural portrait of my country to many people. Though I personally prefer hard rock and heavy metal, that contagious Brazil's beat also appeals to me.

Last month (in my other blog) I spoke briefly of a Brazilian song - Pra que discutir com madame? - that I really enjoy (Besta Quadrada, the other blog, is written in Portuguese; if you want to visit it, click here). Pra que discutir com madame? was composed by Haroldo Barbosa and Janet de Almeida in 1956. Years later, singer and acoustic guitarist João Gilberto recorded it, making it known abroad.

How about listening to the song?

  

A few days ago, I came across with a nice translation of the song lyric in the musician João Macdowell's blog.

Check it out (I put the translation lines and the original Portuguese lyrics side by side):

WHY SHOULD I ARGUE WITH MADAM? (PRA QUE DISCUTIR COM MADAME?)                                           

Madam says the reason the race does not improve, (Madame diz que a raça não melhora,)

That life just gets worse because of Samba (Que a vida piora por causa do samba)

Madam says that Samba is full of sin (Madame diz que o samba é pecado)

That poor Samba should disappear. (Que o samba, coitado, devia acabar)

Madam says that samba has cachaça, (Madame diz que o samba tem cachaça,)

mixing races, mixing colors, (mistura de raça, mistura de cor,)

Madam says that democratic Samba (Madame diz que o samba democrata)

is just cheap music, it’s worthless. (É música barata sem nenhum valor)

                                        
                                         [Chorus:]

Let’s put an end to the Samba, (Vamos acabar com o samba,)

Madam doesn’t like to see the Samba (Madame não gosta que ninguém sambe)

She keeps on saying Samba is a shame (Vive dizendo que samba é vexame)

Why should I argue with Madam? (Pra que discutir com madame?)

Carnival is near, and this year I’m in the contest  (No Carnaval que vem também concorro)

My gang from the favela is coming down, singing opera. (Meu bloco de morro vai cantar ópera)

and in the sweaty alleys, when it’s hot, loud and packed, (E na avenida entre mil apertos)

every single voice will sing a concert. (Vocês vão ver gente cantando concerto)

Madam is a little bit nuts (Madame tem um parafuso a menos)

She spits out so much poison, My God, what a shame (Só fala veneno, Meu Deus, que horror)

Brazilian democratic Samba (O samba brasileiro democrata)

Roots of Brazil, we have pride and we know our worth. (Brasileiro na batata é que tem valor)

Come to think of it, I would've translated the last line a little bit differently... Anyway. Macdowell claims that "the lyrics present a very straight forward version of the narrative of cultural conflicts and coexistence of contrasting systems of value that permeates Brazilian culture. There is a rich discourse about the nature of this cultural tension that is exposed through the song". I totally agree with him.

Furthermore, the tune is simply irresistible, mainly when the song is played by a complete group of sambistas, like these guys below, joined to the marvelous singer Teresa Cristina. Enjoy yourself!