tSiSmoSa!

My Binondo Girl - the Confused Finale

2012-01-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

This was the second to the last night of My Binondo Girl,but instead of forcing myself to wake up upon hearing Kim Chiu’s cute voicesaying, “Ni hao, mga Kapamilya,” I opted to continue sleeping. After the firstgap though, I was fully awake and thank God, I was no longer able to see aglimpse of Jade crying for Onyx and other Onyx-centric scenes.

Or so I thought.

Yep, there was no more Onyx on screen, but Jade’s characterkept on mentioning his name as if everybody’s lives should now revolve onfinding justice for him.

This is typical of a Kim Chiu drama. I just thought that MyBinondo Girl would be an exception because this was marketed as light and fun. InTayong Dalawa, Kim was only used to develop more challenging plots to thecharacter of Coco Martin. The same thing happened with Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo.It was supposed to be a Kim-Gerald, Kris-Albert-Gabby soap, but overall, CocoMartin’s character was given more depth, more story and even without telling itto the viewers’ faces, Coco was treated aslead in these two soaps.

Now, now, what went wrong to My Binondo Girl? First, itcould not sustain the original idea that Jade would eventually end up with Onyxbecause more people embraced Kim’s team-up with Xian Lim, who’s playing therole of Andy (quite effectively, I must say).

So the creative forces behind MBG gave in to the point thatAndy married Jade in Hong Kong, they livedtogether and had their limited share of kilig moments. Why limited? Becauseevery time there is a good opportunity to give in to a good heartwarming scenethat involves Andy and Jade, the creative people will intervene and make surethat Onyx’ presence will not be taken for granted.

This last week, actually the last three weeks, were alreadygeared for the story to revolve around Onyx. I did not watch this soap becauseof Jolo Revilla. I did not watch this either because of Xian Lim. The latteronly became a bonus because he was so good & quite good looking, if I mustadd – two characteristics that cannot be said about how Jolo played his part,considering that he is more veteran than Xian.

I watched the show because of Kim Chiu, but what hooked mereally was that the feel was light, the story did not have heavy plots or gorytwists, it did not resort to goons and guns… Or so I thought, that’s why I feltcheated. It only waited until it already got the signal that they’d be airingthe final week before the story became heavy and the goons and guns werepresented.

This final week should have focused more on Jade as adaughter to her dying father, Jade as a bride/wife to her very loyal husbandand Jade on learning how to live her life without relying too much on Onyx, whoshould have been given a different exit route, something that will prove thathe really was a man of honor and that his life did not revolve solely on Jade.

Onyx’ death was pointless. Actually, everything that hashappened this week was pointless. No matter how this would end tomorrow, it hasalready created distaste that would be hard to forget.

Oh well, I really can’t do anything about this because I wasonly a mere viewer. I hope that Kim Chiu and Xian Lim can have a project thatwould be handled by people who will stick with what would be good for the showand not for a single character alone.

Good bye, My Binondo Girl. Salamat naman, natapos din. Ayokona ulitin haaaay…

Showbiz Breakups, Love and How DJ Mo Stole the Limelight in a Flash

2011-12-02T11:41:00.001-08:00

Whew! What a tsismis-filled week for local showbiz. Not that I'm complaining, tsismosa ako e =)

Update on the Piolo Pascual - KC Concepcion breakup: As expected, ABS-CBN is doing everything to sanitize the issue and to make sure that people's attention will be turned to how good of a person Piolo is. Gone were the days when celebrities would not want their charitable acts to be broadcasted. Piolo's latest advocacy (a teamup with Star Magic), the feeding program, is all over the news.

This is too much. I am a Piolo fan, pero naiinis ako how his home network is handling the issue. Pwede namang quiet na lang. Everybody wants him to speak about the breakup, even though he would only say 'No Comment.' This is not the right time to bombard people with news of his charitable deeds. Oh, well....

Another couple who seems to be on the rocks is Mateo Guidicelli and Maja Salvador. Oh, Amber, I still can't forgive you for what happened with my favorite on-screen couple, Jade and Andy, in My Binondo Girl. I was actually surprised about the breakup issue between Maja and Mateo.

I remember last week, before Maja left for abroad to do some shows with Coco Martin, there were even pictures and tweets of how sweet Maja and Mateo were while they were taping for My Binondo Girl. When Maja was already abroad, she started tweeting things that culminate to the final straw - "It's over."

The tsismosa in me wanted to ask, ano sinabi mo Coco? Hehe! Pakialamera lang =) None is final yet about the issue because no one's talking about it on national TV. Puro tweets.

And on to another issue, which is kinda eeeww, the Vic Sotto - Pauleen Luna rumored affair. Is this for real? Pauleen could pass as Vic's grand daughter already. And Pia Guanio is still in Eat Bulaga and... ang gulo. lahat na lang, ganun? Another oh, well... buhay nila yan.

And the top news maker of the week is the super emo, DJ Mo. I tried my best no to watch his confession video throughout the day, but the tsismosa in me won in the end of the struggle and clicked on the link that I found on PEP.

It was all whisper and singhot. I ended up reading the captions. I hated DJ Mo more for this stuff. He was at fault in the first place. How old is Rhian Ramos, by the way? Mo was the one more mature. He should have protected her when they have decided to give in to their lust.

Rhian has committed a sin, a very grave one that she would be sorry for even beyond death. So the video implied that it was Rhian's sole decision to abort the baby and that Mo tried his best to save it and when he could no longer do anything about it, he opted to confess how he feels and record it on video.

The baby's life was lost. Mo has lost his desire to work (I guess). By letting the public see this confession video, Mo is only making things harder for Rhian. Does he want her to commit suicide? What if she does, what is he going to do? Do another confession video?

This is another issue that must be settled outside the limelight. If Mo really loved Rhian, he would have protected her from all these issues. He could have tried doing charitable deeds and learn from Piolo on how to distract people's attention from the real issue.

The story is now getting more complicated. Mo should really leave the country as soon as he can, because he would surely be filed charges over the accusations that he blurted on the infamous video. Or he can also decide to stay and be a man, for once, and face the consequences of what he did.

The End of Piolo Pascual - KC Concepcion Fairy Tale

2011-11-27T11:24:00.000-08:00

I am sure that everybody was glued on their TV sets yesterday when KC Concepcion finally aired her side of the story on her breakup with Piolo Pascual. The interview was okay, but it did not answer the most intriguing aspects that will satisfy Piolo’s gazillion detractors. This one is better than when John Lloyd Cruz faced Boy Abunda with ex-girlfriend, Shaina Magdayao, just to add more puzzles to their already very confusing story.

I Heart KC

KC Concepcion has a big heart. She’s into charities, sharing her talent, time, fame and fortune to various charitable institutions and advocacy. This is one girl who seems to almost have it all. This may also be the reason why as much as she is loved by many people, there are also many who do not like her.

She is a princess and a darling, but this does not translate to hit movies, albums or TV shows. She still needs to work on making people more endeared to her. She cannot please everybody and she’ll go crazy if she’d try, but there are some things that she ought to learn how to change and adjust into, so that her detractors would see the other side of KC.

How will she able to pull it off? I don’t know. These are the times that we, ordinary people, should be thankful that we are not KC Concepcion.

I Heart Piolo More

This issue is quite painful not only to these two, but to some people like me, who adore Piolo. This only opened not only doors, windows, but also the littlest holes for Piolo’s detractors to throw unnecessary punches his way.

It was a sad timing that Joey de Leon was a guest on The Buzz when the KC Tell-All aired. He did not waste any time to hint and mock about Piolo’s gender as he always does whenever he pleases on national TV. They say that Mr. de Leon is an intelligent person, but his subtle mockery on the issue that he is not even part of made him look like the opposite of intelligent. Where is his dignity after all?

The sad fact is that there are many Joey de Leon’s out there who are not involved in the issue, are not being asked about their opinions, but freely give theirs, just so to prove a point that they are right about Piolo’s sexual preference.

Yun naman yun. They all want him to tell that he’s gay. Joey, who even cried on national TV, after being accused of being a rapist, should know better that whatever the truth is behind this issue, Piolo has a family and a son to protect.

Piolo has given us, the viewing public, excellent performance in most of his endeavors. He has done something wrong to KC. Problema na nila yun. He keeps on doing his job to entertain and please people who want to watch him, so wala tayong problema dapat sa kanya.

What we need to know is that they have broken up. That’s it. They ought to talk about this, sila lang. And when they are ready, they can opt to share to the public what they think we deserve to know about.

The issue has already gotten out of hand. Please, refrain from interviewing Sharon, especially these days when her daughter is still very much affected with what happened. And I hope that Joey de Leon will stop giving his malicious opinions about the matter that he is not even part of.

I am pretty sure that Piolo will be barged with more hurtful questions when he comes back from his show with KC in Japan. I am quite sure as well that he will be man enough to know what to say and what to keep to himself, to protect his loved ones, including his hurting ex-girlfriend.

The Ugly Side of Toni Gonzaga

2011-06-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

I used to admire Toni Gonzaga for her wittiness, but she's had too much of it that she seems to have forgotten about respect and responsibility. These two words fill her co-hosts on the Sunday showbiz talk show, The Buzz, Charlene Gonzales, Boy Abunda and KC Concepcion. She might as well learn from their good demeanors, or else she will definitely stand out for having lack of manners and ethics.

I watched last Sunday's episode of The Buzz. All the hosts grilled Bianca Manalo, asking her for clarifications on the issue that the girl was sadly brought into. While Bianca was trying her best to stay composed all throughout the interview, Toni just went out with the show as if she did not do anything wrong on the previous episode.

She somehow admitted that to her best knowledge, John Pratts and Rachelle Ann Go are already separated for quite some time already. Last Sunday, she defended what she said by saying all of us have our own opinions. It is just that she's being seen and heard on TV and we're not.

That's it. She has said it herself. A simple sorry could have eased her out of this issue. She is a TV personality, thus she ought to be more careful with what she delivers to her audience. We're not. We may have our opinions and we can tell it to the world through blogging and other mediums, but the number of people that we'd be able to reach is still far from the hoards of viewers who have heard what Toni spilled out about the relationship that in the first place, she did not have anything to do about.

She should have shown some respect for her fellow actors who were suddenly placed in an ugly limelight just because Toni Gonzaga wanted it so bad to be as witty as Kris Aquino. The latter can get away with almost anything that she says, because she has class and the kind of conviction that she was able to muster on her long stint in showbizness.

Toni is still young. She is not as credible as Boy Abunda or Kris Aquino, so she must stop acting like one. Yes, her presence in The Buzz, can be annoying at times, especially when she acts as if she knows it all. If she was in the position of Rachelle Ann, whether the breakup issue is true or not, would she want it to go out of hand just because of someone who has an opinion and has a TV show, which makes her think it gives her ample reasons to give her obtrusive opinion?

Just asking. And as a viewer (who can only relay her opinion on the cyberspace and not on TV), I am still waiting for Toni Gonzaga to humbly accept her fault and apologize to Rachelle Ann, John Pratts and everybody who is giving their opinions about the matter who are not seen on TV, unlike Toni G. This is to prove that she doesn't think highly of herself, because she must really not. She still has not reached the amount of respect that KC Concepcion keeps on garnering by being a very sensitive TV host, especially when seated alongside this bitch! (sorry for the outburst, what I mean is Toni G.) Haha! It's okay, I'm not on TV so I can say whatever I want, di ba Toni G?

Willie Revillame Strikes Again!

2011-01-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

I don't know what's with Willie Revillame, but many people love him despite his flaws. My mother was watching an episode of Willing-Willie when the contestant appeared to be over-reacting just to get the attention (& more money) from the host, which she did. Instead of being touched, what I saw was a formula that Willie seemed to have perfected and that is to make people do all the drama in front of the camera that will make him give more to them while the act draws higher ratings for the show.

Willie Revillame has had many blunders on national TV and has even caused deaths to many people on the now defunct show, Wowowee. At the time, he wanted hoards of followers to flock to the show's venue on its anniversary (with the promise of giving out lots of money) so that he can prove to everybody, especially to the rival show, Eat Bulaga, that he was a force to reckon with on TV and this led to the tragedy that until now, is left unpunished.

His latest drama is with former friends, John Estrada and Randy Santiago. To quote Willie, "Wala silang kadala-dala. Kukunin sila tapos tatanggalin na naman. Mag-isip kayong mabuti. Sa ’kin kayo maniwala. Ako ang kasama nyo sa hirap at ginhawa. Nasasainyo ‘yan. Pag tumanda tayo, tayo-tayo pa rin ang magkakasama. Dito sa TV5, nakaplano na lahat."

The statement is coming from a person who still has pending legal issues with his former network that has actually created who Willie is today.

These are Willie's words to John that he blurted on national TV, "Basta ako minahal kita bilang kaibigan. Pag nag-Channel 2 ka uli at nag-noontime show ka dyan, wala ka ng kaibigan na Willie. Masakit ‘yang gagawin niyo sa ’kin dahil inayos ko na, nakipag-meeting na ako kagabi, tungkol sa noontime show dito. Masama talaga ang loob ko kasi inayos ko na ‘to kina Mr. MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan) at Mr. Ray Espinosa (TV5 President). Pero kung diyan kayo masaya sa taong nanakit sa ’kin, nanakit sa ’tin dati, diyan na kayo. Hindi na ako pupunta sa kasal mo (to Priscilla Meirelles), maghanap ka na ng ibang best man."

Take the cue, Mr. John Estrada. Find a best man who will treat you as a friend and not use any issues with you to get another boost in the ratings. Revillame may be right with some of his sentiments, but the way he has expressed himself is another proof that he really is an airhead and a drama king rolled into one.

Your Song Presents Kim with Sam Milby

2011-01-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

Get to see Kim Chiu with Sam Milby, what an awesome pairing, Sunday, January 23 after ASAP Rocks.

Till My Heartaches End - Now Showing

2010-10-26T22:49:00.000-07:00

The last movie of Kimerald (for this year) is finally out. They've had a very successful premiere last night. It looked fun and exciting, but I also heard about the bashings that Gerald Anderson had to bear throughout the run of the film. It is only understandable that even Kim Chiu was very emotional. ABS-CBN seems to be enjoying this roller coaster of emotions, because why would they name the third party on the movie, Lea, which sounds a lot like the third party that most people believe to be in real life, if not to fuse more bashings from those who painfully attended the premiere night even though they are only supporting Kim now.

I haven't watched the film yet. I am only getting these details from various discussion forums. The film was said to be a mirror of what has actually happened with the love story of the two leads. It was very brave of them to do the film and even braver to watch their own story with many of those who have been witnesses of it all.

I was surprised at the numerous comments that my previous post about this whole brouhaha has gotten. These comments only prove that there are indeed so many people who are interested to know the truth and defend their idols. I expected the hurtful comments in the beginning, but as months passed by, I can no longer relate with the kinds of comments that appear to be unforgiving and very brutal.

At the end of it all, we have to understand that Kim and Gerald are only human beings who are bound to commit mistakes. They are free to choose whoever they will love, no matter how they want to do such. Gerald may have hurt Kim a lot on how he has dropped the bomb or how the bomb was eventually discovered, about his new love. If Kim had chosen to forgive, forget and move on, her fans should definitely follow the lead.

If you have noticed, I have not mentioned the name of the other girl involved in this issue. I have moved on, and to avoid blurting out unnecessary things, I have chosen to ignore and just simply forget that she exists.

I will watch Till My Heartaches End this Saturday. I just hope that after this film, bigger breaks will be given to Kim Chiu with other partners. She deserves the blessings and good karma for how she carried herself throughout the ordeal.

As for Gerald, I'm sure that ABS-CBN has plans for him because he's a natural charmer. May this film open new and brighter doors for these two and I really hope that this is going to be a big hit.

I Do – Defining Feel Good at Its Best

2010-10-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

In Fairness!

That would sum up my experience watching the latest Star Cinema flick, I Do. I did not expect anything (good) from the movie because I didn’t have plans to watch it either. My 5-year-old niece wouldn't let me go about my every day life without seeing this film. Nope, she is not a fan of the love team that was featured on I Do. We watched it because of my niece’s highest level admiration for Melai, yes, The Melissa Cantiveros of the PBB Double Up fame.

Overall, the movie was effortless. It wasn’t trying too hard to make the viewers laugh or cry, but there lies its magic. I was laughing most of the time, and sobbing a bit, especially at scenes that involved how the parents dealt with the problem that the characters of Erich Gonzales and Enchong Dee brought about.

The first time that Pokwang cried on the phone, while she was telling someone that the wedding won’t push through was sad, but very real. Dennis Padilla’s character was also very real and it is something that most dads can relate to, especially those who have experienced the same fate.

The bad side of the film though was the Chinese family of Enchong. I am not Chinese, so I wouldn’t know if it was portrayed right. The family was stiff. It is as if they are very serious about everything. All they think about is money. Most of their scenes were serious. They were having a party, but you won’t find anyone who seems to be having a grand time. The Chinese girls that some of the characters, including Enchong’s, dated, were also portrayed as boring and very straight individuals.

I have a Chinese friend and she’s the most fun person I’ve met. She’s very far from the Chinese characters on this film.

Despite the flaws, this movie clearly defines what feel good is all about. It was fun. The bloopers in the end made it more enjoyable. I am a sucker for bloopers, hehe!

This is worth the price that you will pay for, but don’t expect too much and just enjoy the ride.

Why Eat Bulaga is a Tough Show to Beat?

2010-08-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

Willie Revillame may be rejoicing these days because after Wowowee was axed, ABS-CBN continues to juggle and haggle on its afternoon programming. For me as a viewer, I don’t think that this has something to do with Willie’s absence. He has gone overboard when he was at the top that most viewers wouldn’t want to see him at the same timeslot or on any Kapamilya shows ever again. There may those die hard fans and people whom he was able to help in the past, but who will ever forget the painful marks that so many hopeful lives were killed in the tragedy that happened on the first anniversary of Willie’s defunct show. Wowowee will always be remembered for that tragedy no matter how they try to cover it up.

Robin Padilla emerged as a star and brought the ratings of Wowowee to its peak when he was tapped as guest host. This may be because nobody expected him to be good or many people were interested to find out how he would fit in to this kind of show where he had to do things that he has never done on TV before. It was an added treat that as he continues to do his hosting stint, his off screen romance with co-host Mariel Rodriguez starts to develop on screen.

Wowowee should have ended after Robin bid farewell to his hosting stint that lasted for two weeks. Now the public knows that ABS-CBN tried to woo Willie to come back, and this is a major turn off to their loyal viewers because this is a strong sign that they don’t really care what most of their consumers think and feel. It is a good thing that fate had it that Willie and the network did not come into any kind of agreement, which paved the way for the instant creation of Pilipinas, Win na Win and for Willie to do the rounds of interviews to lambast the station that made him who he is today.

So what is wrong with PWNW that despite the team-up of Robin Padilla and Kris Aquino as main hosts, the show was not able to deliver as expected? First off, this is not Kris Aquino’s forte. She can stand on her own and do the whole show even without Robin and the other co-hosts. By placing her amidst talents who are not as good as her and as not as spontaneous as her, her co-hosts, including Robin, were left with nothing more to say but raise their hands to act the PWNW hand signal to cue in for commercials.

Eat Bulaga is tough to beat. The show has remained at the top even though they don’t have big stars as co-hosts, aside from the trio of Tito, Vic and Joey. Most TV viewers look at this show as family. I have grown up watching this show. The only thing that will make me stop watching Eat Bulaga is the retirement of its three main hosts because it would no longer be the same. There may be times that I’d try watching other shows, like what I’ve done when Robin Padilla was a guest host at Wowowee or during the opening of PWNW. But if I’m not satisfied with the other choices, I’d rather stick it out with Eat Bulaga.

Creating a show that would match Eat Bulaga is something that must be done, researched and evaluated for months or years, and not for some weeks after the negotiations with the original host of Wowowee has failed.

Kris Aquino is undergoing some marital blues, and this is not the perfect time to see her doing a very happy show for the family. The Robin-Mariel love angle is no longer interesting. So what if they are lovers now? They are no longer teenagers who can make gazillion of fans scream whenever one is holding the hands of the other, not even when Robin professes his love for Mariel on national TV. We have seen Robin act this way before. He should be given a new partner, so that people will tune in to find out if he’s going to fall anew or if he has indeed found his true love with Mariel.

Kris and Robin should have been given different shows. Everything that may remind people about Wowowee, from the stage, to games, look of the dancers and ways how the show is executed, should have been all scrapped. PWNW looked like a rehashed Wowowee without anything new but the two main hosts.

Now that Edu Manzano is set to do a comeback at the timeslot where he started to get endeared to many local viewers’ hearts at the other channel, ABS-CBN is scrambling its lineup as if this is an easy game of mix and match. They have promoted Showtime to fill in the noontime block, but I don’t think that this is a wise move because in reality, this is a weak show that gained great ratings in the past because GMA 7 cannot create a good show that would match such. They were able to tap into the goldmine when they placed movies to be pitted against Showtime. If Showtime couldn’t win the ratings game against the most crappy of GMA films or the oldest Michael V movie, how else can it fare when pitted against the longest running noontime show on TV?

As for now, I will continue watching Eat Bulaga whenever I have time, but peek into Showtime every once in a while because they got Ryan Bang as guest-judge. ABS-CBN needs all the luck in the world to be able to come up with a show that can really topple or just make the rival show a little nervous.

Bea Alonzo Succeeds in Breaking Up KimErald

2010-07-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

Final Edit: September 9, 2010

Here's the link guys to the story of these two lovebirds. The site is owned by ABS-CBN, so I guess that soon enough, they will also let the public know of the truth. I am no longer bothered with this fact because I don't care about any of them. They must be given a chance to admit their lies and truths, of course. This way, they can allow their former fans to let go of what's left of their illusions and let Kim Chiu shine on her own.

Kim is the runaway winner at this story. She may have a thin frame, but that's all her detractors can say about her. Whereas for Bea, not only she has a big frame, which makes her look older than Gretchen Baretto, Angel Aquino and even Lorna Tolentino, this is also a clear indication of her lack of morals. As for Gerald, well, he got what he deserved, and I'm sure he will soon find out that even though words cannot hurt him, lack of quality fans would. That's it. End of story. With or without admission.

I ought to be doing tons of work to meet my deadlines, but the fan in me cannot help but to refresh all discussion pages on different online forums about Kimerald or the loveteam of Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson. This team-up has been a hobby for me since they entered the PBB house, and that was more than four years ago.

The first time that I heard about the Gerald Anderson-Bea Alonzo issue, I couldn't believe it or I was just in denial. As days or hours go by, it seems as if all roads and clues are leading towards that path, which will eventually point to the fact that Kimerald has only been for reel all along.

Thursday, when one of the founding members of Kimerald BAOs shared that she believes that the issue about Gerald and Bea was true, ABS-CBN immediately announced via one of Star Cinema's bosses, Roxy Liquigan, that the two, Kim and Gerald, will soon have a movie. This may only be mere coincidence, but no one can tell until somebody who really knows about the issue comes out in the open.

Most of the BAOs members have given up on the two and they are now more endeared towards Kim. The biggest and strongest fan group of the two, the Kimerald World, it seems, has also recently changed its name to Kim World. This is a very strong statement and the group must have vital reasons why they opted to do so.

With all the confusion and madness that is happening at the cyber tambayans of these fan groups, there seems to be a news black out about the issue. First off, E-Live, which showed teasers that it will feature Bea and the new man in her life, did not push through with the story. According to some sources (from the mentioned fan groups), the relationship was known to Talent Center. Kim was used to be silent about everything and to continue the act that she's still happy with Gerald. This is yet to be confirmed or denied, but as long as nobody's talking about the issue, the public is free to speculate.

The confusion started after Kim guested on The Buzz and she was asked by Boy Abunda if she loves Gerald. The usual bubbly actress smiled her best and said yes because she considers him special. Boy Abunda immediately followed the question with, "Sa tingin mo, mahal ka ba ni Gerald?" Kim almost choked at the question and from then on, couldn't stop her tears. She tried to stay true with her script and that was to act as if nothing was wrong. Her eyes though, revealed that she was hurt and that she was undergoing something that the public must not know (or else she will lose her job?).

The story will continue and maybe ABS-CBN will try to keep mum about it or link Kim to other artists so that she will also get some hatred that is expected to be thrown at Bea and Gerald. Whatever the truth is, Kim Chiu will get the sympathy of most people.

Bea will get tagged as "Mang-aagaw." Anybody in her position will get the same treatment and that is only expected as the loveteam of Kim and Gerald is still at its peak. Her fans must stay away from reading online discussions (and blogs like this) about their favorite actress at the moment. Kimerald fans are still hurting and they can say anything and everything, especially on unmediated public forums. If ever this is true though, I don't think that she can be happy with where she's at knowing that someone has been badly hurt and is still hurting.

Gerald needs to face the public and say the truth from his heart and not from the script that will be handed to him by ABS CBN. He must stop his pretensions pronto. He has used Kim for so long already. He must come out as he is, a player, and see if the public is still willing to take him in despite such flaw. He must learn something from John Lloyd Cruz and Jericho Rosales. The latter apologized to Kristine Hermosa after admitting the truth about his relationship with Cindy Kurleto at the height of loveteam's success. John Lloyd risked telling the truth about Shaina Magdayao, hoping that his girl would be spared from the public's anger.

It will take time before Gerald can recover from this blunder, but this is the hard truth that he has to accept for hurting one, if not the most loved, bubbly Chinita young sweetheart that has ever graced local showbiz, and that is Kim Chiu.

--

Edit: July 29, 2010

Hurting is a process and even though I was affected by this news (kaloka!), I am starting to move on or I already have. First, I no longer watch Magkaribal or anything that has Bea on it nor I can take buying any products that she's endorsing. Bitter much? Well, this is part of the process hehe!

Second, I seldom visit the online discussions about the Kimerald because I can't take how they are bashing Gerald now. Most fans are saying things that they surely won't divulge if none of these issues ever happened. No matter who Gerald is off cam, the more important thing is that he is able to deliver on cam. What I want from him is to be truthful, especially to his fans. He must not act sweet and lovey dovey to Kim or keep his silence about the issue just to save his ass. He must quit using very sweet words towards Kim on cam, especially if he doesn't really mean it. Through this, he will be able to help his fans and also Kim to move on.

Somebody must still speak up about the issue and they must not let only one person suffer from all these. As of the moment, Kim Chiu seems to be getting all the negative publicity. Aside from being linked with just about anyone, like Enchong Dee, Robi Domingo and Coco Martin, she was also being intrigued that she tried to commit suicide. Here's PEP's full story about the made-up intrigue (I don't think Kim is capable of doing that).

These issues can be denied or confirmed very quick rather than opting to spread lies and related intrigues. Earlier on, after a website claimed that Kris Aquino is pregnant, TV Patrol has done the necessary interviews from the people involved or those who are close to them to dispute such false claim. If this can be done to Kris, why can't they do it to Kim as well? Even if she doesn't have the Republic's President as a brother, she still is a Kapamilya. Is ABS-CBN protecting Bea Alonzo, especially because she has an upcoming movie? Just asking...

Why Babe I Love You Got the PG-13 Rating

2010-04-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

I did not intend to watch Anne Curtis and Sam Milby's Babe I Love You, but I was able to catch it, no thanks to my super makulit niece who has this biggest crush on its male lead. My niece asked me why the movie was rated PG-13. I told her that there may be some scenes like extreme kissing parts or the two leads trying to conceive a baby (believe me, this is the simplest form of explanation that you can give a child instead of saying that the actors are making out).

I am not a fan of the two so I ended up fighting sleep all throughout the movie. The storytelling and editing are very flawless. It looked like the director followed a strict storyboard from the first up to the last shot. The story actually tried to veer away from the norm by making Anne's character flawed, but the overall appeal is old. The material has already been used many times before and this film offered nothing new.

The directing was bland. It was uber boring. There were no scenes and shots that will leave you breathless, nor there were lines that you will remember for the longest time. Its only saving grace is Anne's portrayal of her part. She was very convincing and she was really good. You will forget her glamorous side as you watch the film because she was really able to transform into her character.

Ok, the theme may be for adults, hence the PG-13 rating. My niece was asking me from the start when will I cover her eyes for scenes that she was not allowed to see. I told her Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson's Paano na Kaya had more kissing scenes than this one. Maybe it got the PG rating so that parents can translate to the kids what Sam was saying. 90% of his lines were in English.

I am not a fan of John Lloyd Cruz but I get excited whenever I see him onscreen because he always delivers according to the role. And unlike Sam, John Lloyd knows the language of most of his audience. It will take many years before Sam can achieve such status because I don't think he is exerting much effort to be good at it.

Overall, this film is not for those who aren't fans of Sam and Anne. It was okay, so-so and very forgettable.

Gretchen and Claudine Barretto – Drama Queens

2010-04-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

With so many brouhahas that have happened before the airing of the 8:30PM timeslot of last night’s local TV, I took the chance of finally being able to sleep way earlier than my usual bedtime. Even if you are not that fond of celebrities or local shows, especially dramas, you may have heard about Claudine Barretto’s agony and pains after finding out that her new show on GMA is going to be pitted against her sister’s MMK episode. Gretchen Barretto, on the other hand, immediately stole the spotlight by resorting to a walkout from her media interview. Both happenings were featured on primetime news, as if these were very important issues and as if these two are still very popular.

Well, they may be popular, but not for good reasons. People only care to listen about them if they are involved in nasty and unpopular situations that they are both so good in meddling with. What’s the whole drama all about? Claudine’s argument is that she pities her parents because they must feel very sad that their daughters are being pitted against each other. For Gretchen, she argues that any parent would be proud that their daughters are dominating a certain timeslot on local TV. For this argument, with or without the walkout, Gretchen clearly gave out the more intelligent response.

As per the teasers that I have watched, I don’t like both. Gretchen’s MMK appears to be too old and very complex. It may appeal to the much older viewers. Claudine’s drama, on the other hand, doesn’t have anything new to offer, except that it’s Claudine on the other channel.

GMA 7 seems to be sticking on a formula drama. If they want to make viewers cry, they will use the story of amnesia or Alzheimer’s, like what was utilized on Claudine’s story. Yeah, it may be heart tugging to see someone you love slowly forgetting about you and even about themselves, but after watching it for the first time and you have already cried, the next time you see the same storyline, you will definitely change channels.

My mother watched both. She said, para walang away (feeling naman nya sya yung nanay ng mga Barretto =). The MMK story started with what seems to be a simple plot. Gretchen’s husband died and so she fell in love with a priest. My mother switched channels to watch Claudine’s. The story basically stuck with what was seen on the teaser. It was not only simple, it was boring. When she tuned in again to MMK, she was surprised when the priest character began abusing Gretchen’s kids because she doesn’t have enough time for him. This is when the real conflict would begin and at this point, the remote control was completely forgotten. My mother said that she even cried while watching MMK. I asked her what she felt while watching Claudine. She said that the story may have been good, but the story telling is bad.

This is a very usual reaction to dramas that are done by GMA 7. Even at the time when they have gotten all good creative people from ABS CBN to create Susan Roces’ drama series during the Christmas season, the end result was not as good as compared with the same genres that are shown on ABS. This may be the reason why GMA sticks with re-hashed and recycled concepts and fantasy series. They still cannot create the kind of drama that can hook the viewers and make them cry.

Oh well, GMA 7 claims that they are still number one, but this must not make them feel secured. There are times when ABS CBN is leading the ratings in Mega and Metro Manila that were supposed to be avid to GMA shows. Or even if this is true, GMA should strive harder to make their stories and storytelling more compelling. They are lucky because it seems like ABS CBN will still be their only stiff competitor for a long time. TV-5 re-launched at the time when they still did not have any good materials for their shows. There are rumors that even Maricel Soriano cannot stand to shoot the crappy scripts being given to her. Maricel needs this to prove that she still is a star, and it won’t help if she’ll be given materials like the ones that Claudine is doing on GMA.

Enough has been said, but going back to the Claudine and Gretchen dominance on Saturday night’s drama block, Gretchen is the clear winner when it comes to the script, acting and overall production. I’m not sure about the ratings though. I am interested to find out who won on this aspect. If ever it would be Claudine, many couch people have surely wasted their time and missed out on their chance to get a good cry or a good night sleep like what I had.

-----

P.S.

It seems like the ratings have sided with Gretchen as well =)

TNS, March 10: National MMK 31.4/Claudine 14.7;
Mega MMK 23.6/Claudine 17.3;
Metro MMK 26.4/Claudine 14.7

GMA 7 on the Losing End According to the Latest AGB Ratings

2010-03-05T00:28:00.000-08:00

Heads are surely rolling on Kamuning as GMA 7 continues to lose its grip over Mega Manila with the latest ratings according to AGB. They should consider looking into the quality of their shows this time than on doing the rounds of giving away groceries, like what they were alleged before. But seriously, something has to be done fast before ABC 5 could reign over the number two spot that would leave GMA on number 3.

Here's the March 4 AGB ratings for Mega Manila according to PEP.

Daytime:

Diz Iz It! (GMA-7) 7.6%; Showtime (ABS-CBN) 18%
Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) 16.4%; Daisy Siete: Bebe & Me (GMA-7) 11.3%; Wowowee (ABS-CBN) 18.4%
Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak (GMA-7) 11.8%; Magkano ang Iyong Dangal? (ABS-CBN) 11.4%
Ina, Kasusuklaman Ba Kita? (GMA-7) 13.7%; Maria de Jesus: Anghel Sa Lansangan (ABS-CBN) 9.1%; Banana Split Daily Servings (ABS-CBN) 7.7%
OC To The Max (GMA-7) 6.7%; Pilipinas Got More Talent (ABS-CBN) 8.1%
Family Feud (GMA-7) 7.6%; You're Mine, Only Mine (ABS-CBN) 10.8%

Primetime:

First Time (GMA-7) 15.3%; Tanging Yaman (ABS-CBN) 16.8%
24 Oras (GMA-7) 28.3%; TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) 24.5%
Panday Kids (GMA-7) 30.4%; Agua Bendita (ABS-CBN) 31.6%
The Last Prince (GMA-7) 29.2%; Kung Tayo'y Magkakalayo (ABS-CBN) 31.5%
Diva (GMA-7) 25.6%; Habang May Buhay (ABS-CBN) 28.5%
Queen Seon Deok (GMA-7) 21.7%; Rubi (ABS-CBN) 25.3%
SRO Cinemaserye Presents Meet the Fathers (GMA-7) 11.5%; SNN: Showbiz News Ngayon (ABS-CBN) 13.7%

GMA 7 should really think hard before getting artists from the other network. They should also look into their own artists and make sure that they won't ever let go again of someone like Toni Gonzaga and Angel Locsin. As for their current lineup of artists, the only looker who has what it takes to succeed is Jake Vargas. Forget about the regular lookers that won on the recently concluded Star Struck. They should be able to pull up something as good as Pilipinas Got Talent to draw in real talents to their ward. The formula actually lies on the judges. If ever they will do such, they must make sure that the judges are credible. As for the yet to be shown Party Pilipinas, they must start with something fresh and out of the box in order to shine, even if this would mean that they have to drop the four original has-been hosts of SOP.

Celebrity Tweets

2010-03-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

So Twitter is the best source of inside stories about celebs and other network insiders. Here are some of the latest tsismis from the Tweet-landia.

Kris Aquino on Kung Tayo'y Magkakalayo & the Kimerald:

Taping KTM- leaving to immigrate. Then time lapse. Then- baby James will be taping na. I'm so excited. 1st scene nya he'll be moonwalking like Michael Jackson- sana NO TOPAK that day. -@itsmekrisaquino, March 3

Sweet talaga si Kim and Gerald! Kim made libre my new favorite siomai and putopao. Then before midnight, Gerald naman treated all of us to Starbucks. I really have so much affection for the 2 of them. So easy to work with. So professional! -@itsmekrisaquino, March 1

(I can't wait to see Baby James on TV. Finally, excitement is on the air for KTM after 10,000 years of dragging back story.)

AGB Ratings Galore from PEP Scoopbox:

March 3 AGB Ratings: Diz 6.5/Showtime 19.3; Bulaga 16.4/Daisy 10.3/Wowowee 17.6; Lusak 10/Dangal 12.2; Ina 11.9/Maria 9.2/Banana 7.6 Ripley 7.1/Talent 8.9; Family 9.6/Only Mine 10.8; First 17.6/Yaman 17.1; Oras 24.5/Patrol 24.4 Panday 26.6/Agua 30.1/Kung 26.5; Prince 24.2/Habang 24.5; Diva 24.1/Rubi 24.8; Queen 22.1/SNN 14.3 -@scoopbox, March 4

March 2 AGB Ratings: Diz Iz It 7/Showtime 19; Bulaga 16.3/Daisy 11.6/Wowowee 20.4; Lusak 13.5/Dangal 12.3; Ina 15.6/Maria 8.7/Banana 7.2 Laf 7/Talent 7.5; Family 11.9/Only Mine 9.6; First 18.1/Yaman 16.5; Oras 28.5/Patrol 25.1; Panday 30.1/Agua 34.2 Prince 30.1/Kung 32.8/Habang 27.5; Diva 24.9/Rubi 24.1; Queen 20/SNN 13.3 -@scoopbox, March 3

(Hmmm, I wonder if GMA 7 is now singing to the tune of Gulong ng Palad)

Claudine Baretto on rumors about the Angelica Panganiban & Derek Ramsay breakup:

all couples go through problems artista man o hindi,dnt knw if nagtampuhan sila but they r together both derekn gel -@Dineybarretto, March 3

(Tuloy ang ligaya ni Rubi. Actually, they look good together, sana sila na =)

Matteo Guidicelli & Andi Eigenmann on their Agua Bendita stint:

malapit na po kami sa Agua.. :) :) -@MFG09, March 3

Not true :) malapit na po ako lumabas :P -@andieigenmann, Mar 1
Malapit na po ako lumabas sa Agua Bendita!! :D -@andieigenmann,Feb 26

(Sighs... why can't I be happy with this news? Give Xyriel Manabat a new show fast please after the transition. Here's a cute fanpic that I got from PEX. Xyriel deserves this because she is the reason why people tune in to the show.)

The Ezra Band Made an Impression on Pilipinas Got Talent Audition

2010-03-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought that I could lessen the time that I spend watching TV, I caught this band's performance on their audition for Pilipinas Got Talent. I was already in awe when the pianist began playing, but the awe was even higher when the vocalist, who surprisingly is a girl, began singing. Aaw... These are the kinds of talents that GMA-7 must look for to revive SOP or whatever they wish to replace it with. They are called the Ezra Band, and I have high hopes that we'll see more of them or hear their songs soon.

Random Thoughts about Paano na Kaya

2010-02-26T08:14:00.000-08:00

I did not write my review on Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson’s film, Paano na Kaya, after I have seen it on its first day of showing,so as not to burst the bubble of my friends or relatives who were planning to see it. You see, I’m a fan of these two and I wouldn’t have missed this for anything. The trailer was good, but the film was one confused material.

It was evident that the director was nervous that he would make the bosses happy and at the same time, this film would gross well by giving what the fans would like to see. It has all elements that we have seen before. It was very Star Cinema, in a bad light. I was with my 5-year-old niece when I watched it. We both thought that this was going to be fun, sort of Cathy Molina-ish(?). When the story begins to become a drag, my niece asked me, “Bakit parang TV na? Akala ko ba comedy, pero bakit umiiyak na naman si Kim Chiu?”

I wonder how this material was originally written, because it must be a very good piece. There are times when you don’t really have to inject family stories into a romance material just so Mr. Film Critic won’t ask, now where is this character coming from. With so many angles that it tried to explore, the outcome became “sabog” with so many actors left with no speaking lines because they were not that important and in fact, the movie could have been done without them.

Ruel Bayani, the director, must have been given time to relax after Tayong Dalawa, so he could have prepared more for this material. In all fairness, he handled the kilig scenes way better than how Lino Cayetano did on I’ve Fallen for You. There were many good scenes and good lines, but the main problem remains to be the very thin story and confused story telling.

Despite this, I was forced to come back and watch this film for the second time last Valentine’s Day. Since watching it the first time, my niece wanted to go back and watch the Kimerald starrer every single day. We only obliged come happy hearts day and at the time, the cinema was forever SRO, a proof that no matter what the quality of the film is, people are still going to spend to see this very well loved love team on the big screen. And I am also very sure that I’ll be asked to buy the DVD copy of this movie and need to be prepared to deal with hundred rounds of replays, or else my niece won’t give me any peace.

I just hope that Star Cinema will give Kim and Gerald another project soon, and this time, give them a good story, period. We are not really after good and memorable lines and we’re not even asking for numerous kissing scenes. At these hard times and when money is getting so hard to be earned, moviegoers should demand quality above everything else.

Poor Andi

2010-02-18T07:12:00.000-08:00

Aww... Poor Andi. I know, I am one of those who do not want the young version of Agua Bendita to end. It is just that the young girl, Xyriel Anne Manabat, who plays both the young Agua and Bendita in the said show is simply charming. Who would have thought that she could beat the ratings of Darna's final week? But the show should have been more about the older Agua and Bendita, who will be played by Andi Eigenmann. The latter did all the promotions and interviews for this as part of her job. She's young, but there's a lot of hope in her eyes that this is her time to shine.

She is not Judy Anne Santos who can afford to wait three years for her soap opera to be aired. Andi is only starting to dream. Now that it seems unsure when Agua and Bendita will grow up, Andi is left with questions from people about when is she going to be seen on her own show. I still don't want Xyriel Anne's stint on the show to end, but at least for her hard work and effort, ABS CBN should give Andi something where she can still shine and make the public eager to see her on Agua Bendita.

Why don't they cut the currently playing PHR with two actors without any chemistry and spark, Paw Diaz and Rafael Rossel and put Andi on the slot with a big time Kapamilya actor like Diether Ocampo? This way, they can compensate for the still unfulfilled promises and at the same time, people will start to appreciate Andi. As of now, the reason why I am not that eager to watch her on primetime is because I don't know anything about her, aside from the fact that she's Jacklyn Jose's daughter.

I'm now torn. I don't want the kids on the show to grow up, but my heart goes out to the supposedly real star of the show. Here's Andi's latest blog post. I am not sure what is this about, but it's still heart breaking in any way, thus the title, Mend My Broken Heart.

Congrats Melay - PBB's Newest Champ!

2010-02-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

I was rooting for Paul Jake on this season's PBB. He deserved the top spot among all housemates. But in all fairness to Melay, she may not deserve it because she's not as strong as a contender like Paul Jake, but she was the only reason why I watched it and kept on watching PBB Double Up until its very end.

All the rewards given to Melay may not even be enough as compared to the laughter she has brought to every home that watched her funny antics on TV. She is really good. She will make it far, as long as she will be guided from this point forward. To start with, she should not be that much identified with Jason. More than anything else, Jason made the mark of being very lazy throughout his PBB stint. As for Paul Jake, he must not be too serious with showbiz. He'll be better off as a politician or anything away from the mad world of this business.

Boring Primetime Lineup from ABS CBN

2010-02-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

After May Bukas Pa has ended, on a very corny note (hehe!), I did not intend to watch its successor, Agua Bendita. Regarding May Bukas Pa's ending, it has proven that Ryan Agoncillo has honed his talent in acting. He was doing a great job until the very pivotal scene wherein he saw Santino with Bro right in front of him. I did not expect him to go hysterical, but I did not like his reaction either. Yeah, he was shocked, but it really should be more than that. If I were in his position, I don't know, maybe I'd even lose consciousness. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost, that was why he opted to run away from the scene. Oh well, that's not Ryan's fault, but the director who instructed him to act that way. We were prepared to cry that night, but seeing all the ASAP performers crying while they were singing and the appearance of Charo Santos for the Virgin Mary role made my whole family laugh. Kulang na lang si Pokwang!

I did not plan to watch Agua Bendita, but my niece won't turn away from the TV, so we ended up watching its prime telecast and the next day and the next... The young Agua Bendita, Xyriel Anne Manabay, is so fun to watch. She has the potential of making it big like Zaijan Jaranilla who played Santino in MBP. It is so sad that this show is not about the young girl. Soon enough, this cute girl will grow up to become the Eigenmann girl. I just wish that the story of the young Agua Bendita would be stretched into a month or two, or better yet, let her have the whole season.

My favorite, Kimerald, or Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson, on the other hand, are stuck in a soap that lacks interesting plots. What could be the big conflict at the end of it all when the main characters are very forgiving? It could not come from Gabby because after he has learned that Albert is alive, he had chosen to give up on Kris and he did not pursue fighting for Kim when he has learned the truth. Gina Pareno keeps on becoming a wallpaper without any interesting scenes. Gerald is now the new Audrey, Kim's character in Tayong Dalawa, the story will move on to its uninteresting direction even if he's not part of it.

It would have been more interesting if Gerald got Coco's part and the story will revolve on how he will fall in love with Kim's character, whom he thought to be his half-sibling all along. This kind of love story will defy all reasons and will give justice to their peg. As of now, the story just keeps on getting boring.

Ooops, I forgot about Tanging Yaman. I was so excited to see Rowell Santiago acting again in the small screen. The roles are good, the acting, especially Erich, Jodi and, of course, Rowell, are very much okay. But the overall appeal is old. It's like bringing back a soap opera from the 80s. I hope they end this soon. Now that Melai will soon be out from the PBB house, ABS-CBN can give her this time slot for something fun, exciting and new.

Is There Still Hope for Filipino Writers?

2010-02-01T07:33:00.000-08:00

This article from the website, STIR, is worth re-blogging. If ever this is true, I hope that this is going to be the start for people in the industry to treat Filipino writers with respect, in terms of the conditions they are always faced with at work, compensation and how they are treated by the whole system. If highly respected writers like Ricky Lee and Mitchiko Yamamoto had such bad experiences, what more can the aspiring writers expect from this industry that they look up to. I was part of this industry once, and even though there are many good memories, most of the experiences are better left forgotten. Here's the article from STIR.

ABS-CBN caused director’s death!
by: Edgar O. Cruz | STIR Editor In Chief
1 Feb 2010 | 08:56 AM

“There is no truth to that,” ABS-CBN Corporate Communications Head Bong Osorio tells STIR about the mass resignation buzz of ABS-CBN creative writers to GMA-7.

Wrongly termed as it is not a one-time quitting from their work but one after the other, it started with the transfer of Jake Tordesillas. The latest to give notice is award-winning scriptwriter of “Magnifico” and Äng Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” Michiko Yamamoto who followed film and television writer icon Ricky Lee. STIR recently scooped Ricky’s resignation from his corporate work at ABS-CBN to be able to pursue personal projects such as finishing his second novel.

For her part, Michiko allegedly resigned after being mistreated such as receiving low salary for a writer of her caliber. She also got second billing to an unknown writer in “Nagsimula sa Puso.” The buzz is she was told by a wannabee headwriter that she’s too indie-minded and doesn’t know how to write kilig scenes. Michiko sent feelers to GMA which readily and quickly grabbed the opportunity to sign her up in its fold.

If there’s a big transfer of ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs personnel such as Luchi Cruz Valdez, Jude Sta. Ana and Cheryl Cosim to Manny Pangilinan’s refocused TV-5, there is a similar transfer of ABS creative consultants and headwriters in GMA like Jake, Agnes Gagelonia, Keiko Aquino, Aloy Adlawan, Senedy Que, & now Michiko. More are expected to follow.

Why such transfer? The buzz is ABS-CBN continues to treat the secret weapons of their drama success shabbily. The shocking revelation is that they were made them go through months of developing shows and/or series without or very minimal pay!

When asked who are involved, STIR’s squealer said, “Di ang mga bosing na slave drivers who put up that system! Sila yumayaman. Writers (are) hungry. Nangungutang pa! This floodgate is bound to happen. With TV5, baka wala nang matira sa kanila!”

When pressed for specific names, the squealer did not budge,

“Lahat ng decisionmakers nila, from business unit heads and up. Dami nila sa hierarchy.”

ABS-CBN it seems is at a lost of what to do! Allegedly, it has gone to the extent of accusing Jake of unethically recruiting ABS-CBN writers. The buzz is they are now signing up writers with P50,000 to P70,000 retainers but the trouble is not all are biting!

It’s clear they are not happy with the treatment and compensation they have been getting from ABS-CBN. If they were, the Law of Demand and Supply will not be operational; they will hold on. But the issue is there’s a problem with the system. While they toil like slaves, only the few gods overlooking the creative pool benefit!

Here’s another revelation from STIR’s squealer. This system allegedly caused directly or indirectly the death director Gilbert Perez due to overfatigue from back-to-back 24-hour tapings. Gilbert passed on at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Sept. 2008 after he suffered heart attack while megging Jericho Rosales and Carmen Soo’s “A Time For Us.”

There’s also Galo Ador who allegedly for seven months of work got only salary for three weeks before his project “Panday” finally went on air. There is also this unidentified writer who was allegedly sent to the set at 2am and died in his way. The list goes on.

Allegedly, the system works this way: Poor writer gets a show. He develops a 13-week storyline termed as “latag.” He goes through as many as 12 drafts (“And that’s the average!”) until headwriter is “hapi.” Then he has to please the egoistic director. There are times the director comments down to a word in the dialogue! They have developed such reputation for unreasonable attention to details! Then, the writer has to present to a panel of eight “heads” who end up having different opinions. And that’s only halfway through.

“Habang May Buhay,” the Judy Ann Santos and Drek Ramsey starrer which pilots tonight, took three years to make! If the people behind the project are asked, they will tell how inhumane the working conditions were. They were able to come up with a good series but the squealer asks, “Makatao ba sila? Kapamilya ba talaga turing nila sa writers?!”
When asked why open the issue to STIR, the squealer explained,

“Para mas umayos na treatment nila sa writers from here on. Can you imagine, THE Ricky Lee? For him to finally resign, ang dami niya munang tiniis dyan.”

When pressed for the mass transfer’s specific cause, the squealer revealed, “Basta higher salary with much better working conditions and atmosphere. Yun naman talaga mas importante. Ang tratuhin ka ng tama at hindi yung by the time you write your 12th draft, feeling mo, ang bobo bobo mo na at sila lang ang magaling!”

When asked to comment regarding Ricky and Michiko, Bong replied, “I am not privy to the Michiko and Ricky actions. Let me check.”

STIR welcomes the side of ABS-CBN regarding this issue.

Unexciting Entries at 2009 MMFF

2009-12-23T09:56:00.000-08:00

The promotions for this year's Film Fest entries are all over, and based on what I've seen so far, I think that this is an unexciting year for Tagalog film buffs.

Mano Po 6 - I heard that this film got an A grade from the CEB. I am not a Sharon fan and she's the only big star that is included in the cast. The story is not that exciting, I've seen it on many other films and TV dramas. I'm not going to watch this even on a pirated DVD copy.

I Love You Goodbye - If the story is not that exciting for Mano Po 6, I can't understand the story of this film at all, if there is any. The trailer is like an MTV of various scenes that tackle different peaks or plot points of the film. Sabog. I will not watch this either, but I'm going to search for Kim Chiu's scenes on YouTube.

Panday - Abiding parents would watch this to give in to their kids' request. Thank God, my niece doesn't like these kinds of films. She'll be afraid of the computer graphic effects done, especially on the antagonists. I'm afraid I don't want to see Bong Revilla on the big screen.

Ang Darling Kong Aswang - Based on the trailer, this New Moon-inspired film is actually funny. Among all entries, if I'd be given a pass to see only one film, I'd choose this.

Shake Rattle and Roll - I watched last year's version because of Kim Chiu, hehe! I'd say that it is really hard to thrill the audience just like what the first three sequels of this film were able to do back in the 80s and early 90s. Nope, I won't watch this entry, thank you very much.

Nobody, Nobody but Juan - Kudos to Dolphy for still being able to do films despite his age. By now, he should be given projects fit for a king and this is definitely not the right one.

Wapakman - Manny is good in boxing, but I'm not watching his fights. He is a bad actor, so why would I even care to watch this crap?

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a nice site that can give you a good laugh this Christmas. Oh boy, I made them sing 12 Days of Christmas, and they did it perfectly, in a cute funny way haha! Enjoy!

I Hate Tayong Dalawa's Ending! Grrrr!

2009-09-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

I am not that fond of watching TV, much less, local soap operas, but I do indulge every time Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson's tandem was part of the casts. I just love these two because if you have seen them since their stint on PBB, you will definitely admire the growth and improvement that they are both showcasing on their craft.

For nine months, I tuned in to Tayong Dalawa because of these two. The story started okay, it was able to highlight each and every character. This is why most of their characters have eventually become household names, the most popular being Lola Gets. The story started sagging down when they have decided to revolve everything on the character of Jake Cuenca, Dave. Everyone at the time would breathe, live and die all for Dave. That was also the time that I started avoiding the show.

I watched again after Dave let go of Audrey, Kim's character. This could have happened a bit earlier so that Audrey and JR could have explored their marital lives, and even include the common problems involved in this situation. But the creative team did not do that because like what happened on the last weeks of the show, when the focus of the story was turned to JR and Audrey, they could no longer find anything interesting plot for the Dave character. And it is very obvious that this cannot be allowed because Jake Cuenca is Jake Cuenca, hmmm, Ana Dizon wannabe? Hehe!

Tomorrow will be the last night for this soap, but I am no longer interested in seeing how it is going to be. I have a clear idea that whatever it is, it is going to be in favor of Jake. For me, the soap ended after Audrey delivered a baby and she was alive and they all lived happily ever after. It also ended after Paul shot Dave, and for me, Dave died on the spot and Ramon, who witnessed the incident, will bring his dead body to his family, will ask for their forgiveness and kill himself. Ramon's character is too bad that he really has to die.

During their promotions, they keep on saying that they will give us a very unforgettable ending. I thought that Santino would appear at the end to heal everyone. Haha! That would be a first in Philippine TV, a cross over of a popular character from May Bukas Pa to Tayong Dalawa.

It was very unfair to kill Audrey's character. She did nothing on the story but cry. When she was allowed to be happy, they have decided to kill her character. She was still crying up to her very last scene, on the video footage where she left her message for JR.

It is funny how many characters they had to kill in this story, from the two Stanley, Jr., David Garcia, Sr., Baron Geisler's character, Nico and the gang (hehe!), Mylene Dizon's character, Olivia, Greta, Mamita, Lola Gets and the unfortunate death of Audrey. Whatever happened to the supposed father of Ingrid? Did he die as well? How about Baby Robert? Now what is Baby Robert. "Tao ba 'to? Bagay? Lugar? Pangyayari?" The writers find it hard to make the boy integral to the story.

I was thinking of buying the DVDs, the start, then I'll skip the parts after Dave was rescued from the terrorists and maybe the last one, beginning at the time when JR and Audrey got married. But now, I would no longer do that because ABS CBN decided to favor the big bosses behind the soap instead of the voices of those who would love to see Audrey happy and alive.

They knew what people would say if they had done poll or text voting as to whose life would you rather save at the end, Dave or Audrey. Now don't ask why until now ABS CBN still trails behind GMA 7, even if the latter has nameless and only few talented actors. They play favorites and maybe the Kimerald fans are not part of the favorite list.

Oh well, maybe they could do ending number 2 to be shown on Your Song. Name it as, Tayong Dalawa: The Real Ending, where Audrey would be saved and Dave will die or simply lose his sanity or disappear together with Baby Robert.

I hope that they are already cooking up something for Kim and Gerald where they will be the central characters. This is only inevitable after the two had given their all for Tayong Dalawa. As for Jake, I am pretty sure that there are hoards of projects lined up on his silver plate already. If only Lola Gets wasn't killed in the story, they could do a spin off like a comedy series or a sitcom where Lola Gets will get the top billing.

Oh, too much rants and all I really want to say is GRRRRRRR!

A Couch Potato's Verdict on ABS CBN's New Shows - Katorse and Dahil May Isang Ikaw

2009-08-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

The TV is still on but nobody's really watching. We're all doing our own different tasks and it seems like we're just waiting for the one great person who would turn the TV off. The TV session started during TV Patrol, then we watched May Bukas Pa and then we never fail to tune in to Tayong Dalawa. It is a good thing that they placed the latter on an earlier timeslot.

I tried watching Jericho Rosales' new soap on ABS CBN, Dahil May Isang Ikaw. The verdict – the actors and the concept itself are old. It is boring to watch. There is no more magic to the Echo-Kristine tandem. The show is wasting lots of good actors because they have chosen to give them roles that they have played many times during the span of their has-beens careers.

Through this soap, the network could have helped the involved actors in the series to boost their careers. But all of them needed something fresh, out of the box concept that will make people interested in tuning in to the show even if they are not die hard fans of these actors. Is it already too late to redeem the show? I don't think so. They can still try to twist the story in a way that it will not rely so much on any loveteam or any pakilig scenes because I don't think that Echo and Tin can still achieve what the Kimerald team-up does best.

As for Erich Gonzales' new show, Katorse, I think that they have chosen the wrong timeslot for it. The theme of this soap is not suitable to be watched by children who are still very much awake and even manipulate the remote control at such time. Here in the house, we no longer let anyone change the channels into either the Kapuso or Kapamilya channel before the news starts to air. Both stations are showing soap operas with too many kissing scenes and adult-related themes that will not fit to be viewed by minors.

I know, people will only insinuate that this is where the Parental Guidance notice should be placed into good use. But there are really the right time for young kids to know about adult-related matters and the right venue. They are watching TV at the time in the afternoon to get entertained. It may be easy to explain why Gu Jun Pyo is kissing Jan Di softly on the lips because of love. But how would you tell them why a 14-year-old girl (who looks 25) chooses to disobey her family and started making out to another teenager? Argh! This should be moved to a later timeslot. Oh, please.

Politics, Tsismis and Everything Else in Between

2009-08-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

In my search for local showbiz tsismis, I found this picture.

The caption reads: Bitbit ang kanilang mga mangkok, matiyagang pumila ang mga batang ito para makakuha ng libreng pagkain na ipinamigay ng isang non-governmental organization (NGO) sa isang squatters area sa Tondo, Maynila kahapon. (AP)

This reminds me of the million-peso dinner that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her allies had during their most recent trip abroad. This also brought back memories when former President Joseph Estrada headlined all news with his extravagant way of life. As 2010 comes near, we should really be looking for people like Ninoy and Cory Aquino. They did not aim for luxury. All they wanted was to serve and help the Filipino people.

But that would be hard. There is something about power that makes people change drastically from saints into monsters. We may laugh at Senator Miriam Santiago at most times but at least she speaks what most of us have long been thinking about. The latest of her good speeches include the over-budgeted infomercials of those who seem to be planning to run for office next year. Even if these people do not have any intentions to run come 2010, they should not waste people's money in such venture.

Before they spend a single cent just so they can appear maganda and pogi onscreen, they should think about the children who still have to line up to every feeding program that will visit them to survive life. How many children could be fed by all the infomercials or even the campaign ads of those who are claiming to be the answer to poor people's every day dilemma?

As most people learn how to dance to the tunes of their sad and poor lives, politicians and other government appointees should stop dancing on TV to create a buzz about them or their projects. We do not need to know who they are. We want to see and benefit from what they have done and continue to do even without the glitz and glammor of the lights, cameras and their celebrity endorsers.

Star Cinema's In My Life - Something to Watch Out For

2009-08-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, John Lloyd Cruz is the man! That was what I thought after seeing the full trailer of "In My Life" yesterday. He was so into his character. He was so gay - aaaw! Now this is the kind of film that has the makings of succeeding in the tilts. It was so natural. There seems to be no pretensions.

Unlike "And I Love You So," "In My Life" focused on the story so after seeing the trailer, you will know if you are going to watch it or not. "And I Love You So" tried convincing people that it was a good film by bombarding us with so many "too good to be true" dialogues and lines which were said by the characters in the film. As a moviegoer, I wouldn't be convinced to see the film just because Bea or Connie or Sam said the most cheesy line I have ever heard my entire life. They got so engrossed in looking for these lines that they forgot to market the film in a way that it would be appreciated by many, just like how "In My Life" is currently doing.

I haven't seen Bea's film and I don't have any plans. It did not offer anything new. Even Bea appeared to be old with the kind of story. We've seen same acting from Bea in her past films. They should have given her something different, like what they have let John Lloyd tackle in his new film.

But I may be wrong, maybe it clicked like what is being announced on ABS CBN shows lately. And even if it flopped, people would only attribute that to the fact that the movie wasn't shown on SM cinemas.

Another thing that makes "In My Life" a stand-out as compared with "And I Love You So" was the right pairing of John Lloyd and Ms. Vilma Santos. They owned the screen and the film that even if sometimes I get distracted by Luis Manzano's amateurish attack on his role, especially when he was crying to his mom (ampanget nya umiyak hehe!), I forget about him immediately after seeing scenes with both John Lloyd and Vilma.

The only thing that must be resolved right now is the conflict between SM and Star Cinema. They should act on it fast because they will both lose big time if "In My Life" will suffer from the same fate as "And I Love You So."

And I Love You So - Another Flop in the Making?

2009-08-01T23:46:00.000-07:00

All those who think that the upcoming Star Cinema flick, And I Love You So, will become a hit, please raise your hands. This film is very important to Bea Alonzo's career. The first time she has tried to veer away with her team-up with John Lloyd, via Dream Boy with Piolo Pascual, it was a flop. This can be attributed to the fact that even they were big TV and film stars at the time, they did not have the magic and chemistry when paired up.

The other half of Bea (in TV and films), John Lloyd Cruz, was able to succeed even without his perennial love team. The John Lloyd and Sarah Geronimo team-up used the old kilig concept of love that opposites attract that made them Box Office King and Queen.

Now that Bea is once again trying to prove that she can make it without John Lloyd, I doubt that this film is the material for such goal. It would already be shown some time this month, but until now, I still can't get what the story is all about. What they are trying to market at this point is that Bea was bolder in this film, literally. I don't think that would help much to convince the female moviegoers that they should give this a try.

Sam, Sam, Bea is with Sam Milby in this film. I don't know about his fans, but I don't like his current appearance, especially his hair. He doesn't look tidy anymore. In terms of magic, Star Cinema could have tried to place Anne Curtis instead of Bea. The other leading man, Derek Ramsay, would not help much to the success of this film. The guy is plainly overexposed. He really has a good backer, er, manager, for him to land good roles both in TV and films even though he doesn't have as much following as his other contemporaries.

Star Cinema should really think hard about their lineup. After T2 did not do well in the tills, they've shown another horror flick, Villa Estrella. I suppose that the latter did not do any well in terms of earnings because I've never heard anything after it was shown. This was due to the fact that the actors of the said film are still not capable of making it big in films, because they also haven't proven their worth on TV either.

And now comes Bea's film, And I Love You So. Is this going to break the flop curse for Star Cinema? I think that Bea has enough following for the movie to earn some, but not as big as expected.

I just hope that Star Cinema would soon utilize actors that people want to see in films. Enough of Derek Ramsay and Jake Cuenca, please. And they should also be able to give memorable stories with unique plot points that will make people want to see the films after they have seen some snippets and teasers of these.

Pinoy Showbiz Quotes & Beauty Pageant Booboos

2009-07-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

I got this from an e-mail & just wanna share some laughs! Enjoy =)

1) Alam mo ate Ludz, you know, when you are alone, you really have to step your foot...ah , forward!

MELANIE MARQUEZ ANSWERING ATE LUDS QUESTION: Paano ka nag-susurvive sa mga trials mo?
***

2) Ano kasi , she is, I mean she was, kasi past tense na nga pala...

SNOOKY ANSWERING A QUESTION FROM THE PANEL IN SEE-TRUE
***

3) Eddie Mercado: Of the three titles at stake, which would you want to win?

Finalist: I want to win the Bb. Pilipinas Universe because it would be an honor to represent the Philippines in the whole Universe!

BINIBINING PILIPINAS CIRCA 70's
***

4) So Joey, paki ulit muli yung concert mo sa University of Belt.
ALMA MORENO WRAPPING UP THE CONVERSATION WITH GUEST JOEY ALBERT IN HER NOW DEFUNCT SHOW RATED A.

***

5) Joey : Ano ang favorite movie mo, Tagalog o English?

Discorama Girl contestant: BOT!
Vic: So favorite mo talaga si Edgar Mortiz!
***

6) Joe Quirino: Sharon, are you familiar with the current problems we have in the film industry?

Sharon: Sorry, Tito Joe, I'm afraid not.

JQ: What about you Myra, what can you say?

Myra Manibog: Naku Tito Joe, I'm afraid also!
***

7) Joey de Leon: How are you?

Miss Gay Philippines contestant: How are you too!
***

8) Eddie Mercado: Angie Dickinson has insured her legs for a million dollar, would you also do the same?

Melanie Marquez: NO, of course no, because I am proud and contented with my long legged.

With this answer, she bagged the crown and eventually won the Miss International in 1978.
***

9) Joe Cantada : So Atoy, what are your prospects now, mukhang makakayanan kayo ng Toyota this coming semi-finals round...

Atoy Co : Well Joe, the ball is around!

(naghanap tuloy ng bola si Joe)
***

10) PBA anchor : So sino sa tingin mo Arnie ang may appeal sa iyong artista natin?

Arnie Tuadles (SLN): Si JEN siyempre!

Anchor: Sinong Jen?

Arnie T: Si JEN SABURIT.
***

11) SA GERMSPECIAL...DEBUT ni Janice de Belen!

Kuya Germs: Happy Birthday Janice. Ana, may sasabihin ka pa?

Ana Margarita Gonzales (sister ni Kring-Kring): Ilan taon ka na ngayon, Janice?
***

12) Tom Babauta guesting on Germspecial

Kuya Germs: Do you love Philippines?

Tom: Yes Kuya Germs.

Kuya Germs: Have you made love to a Filipina?
***

13) Lydia immediately after winning against PT Usha of India for the Century Dash in 1984 Asian Games.

Reporter: What happened Lydia, mukhang bumanat ka sa ending.

Lydia: Oo nga, mabilis siya, but you know, I ran and I fast!
***

14) New Year's presentation ng See True:
Ate Luds: O sige ano na ang inyong prediction para kay Stella Strada.
Madam Auring: Lalo siyang sisikat sa darating na taon at malalampasan niya ang kasikatan ni Alma Moreno!

Kinabukasan, HEADLINE: STELLA STRADA COMMITS SUICIDE!
***

15) Joey de Leon: Ano sa tingin mo ang katangian mo na iba sa mga kalaban mo?

Miss Gay Philippines Contestant: Unang-una, isa akong tunay na Babaeng Pilipina na handang maglingkod sa bayan. Alam ko na ang isang Gay na katulad ko ay maaring maging halimbawa sa lipunan. OO nga kami'y pinagtatawanan subalit may karapatan din naman kaming mabuhay para hindi lamang sa sarili kundi para sa mga taong aming mapaglilingkuran.

Joey: So Ano nga ang katangian iba sa iyo?

Contestant: Palangiti ako.

Vic: Kahit walang tao?
***

16) Isang panelist sa See-True: Paano mo nabibigyan buhay ang pag-bobold?

Coca Nicolas: Pinaiinum ako ni Tito Rey ng FONDADOR.
***

17) Joey de Leon: Ano ang masasabi mo sa katayuan ng mga katulad mo sa lipunan, sabi nila...blah, blah, blah...

Miss Gay Phil Contestant: (panay ang ngiti at halatang kinakabahan...)

Unang una Joey at Vic, Magandang tanghali sa inyong lahat. Pwedeng pakiulit yung tanong?
***

18) SUPER SI REYNA CONTEST
Emcee: Anong masasabi mo sa death penalty?
Contestant: A... ano po yun toot por toot, eye por eye.
Emcee: Paki-eksplika nga?
Contestant: Ganito po yun: kung pinatay mo ang nanay ko, dapat, patayin ko din ang nanay mo!
***

19) LITTLE MISS PHILIPPINES CONTEST

Emcee: Anong gusto mong maging paglaki mo?
Contestant: Maging lalaki po.
***

20) LITTLE MISS PHILIPPINES CONTEST

Emcee (to boy consort, inaalaska): Okay 'tong suot mo boy, a!
Boy consort: 'T&~G #NA MO!
***

21) MR. WORLD PHILIPPINES CONTEST

Emcee: What do you think should a man possess to be successful?
Contestant: I think, that for a man to be successful, he should be a responsible, because if he should not be a responsible, he will not have a successful. That is all. I thank you.
***

22) Eat Bulaga's husband and wife compatability contest (a la Newly Weds game show)

Host: Misis, ano ang nilalagay ni Mister sa kanyang itlog tuwing umaga?

Misis: Johnson's Baby Powder!

Nice Link!

2009-07-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

This is an entertaining website. I was amazed, yey! Can't wait to show this to my 4-year old niece =) You may want to try it as well. Right click the link below and open it on a new window.

" ..::CIRCORIPOPOLO GOES AIRTISTIQUE::.. "

Pinoy Rosalinda Looks More Like Fedra

2009-07-04T01:41:00.000-07:00

The Pinoy version of Rosalinda is about to start so the local boob tube is filled with the faces of newcomer, Carla Abellana who is going to play the title role, with Geoff Eigenmann as the chubby version of Fernando Jose.

In fairness to the two, they look so much alike, especially their eyes. They can pass as siblings. Carla has the potential to make it big, but this kind of role could become more successful if GMA 7 had chosen Heart Evangelista to play the lead. This could be her reunion project with Geoff and that would be something to look forward to because they had good chemistry with the soap that they had done with ABS CBN ages ago (hence I can no longer remember the title).

As for Carla, the main reason why I don't want her for this project is because she reminds me so much of the original Fedra, the one who played as the main antagonist on the Mexican version of this soap opera. Fedra was played by Mexican actress, Nora Salinas.

Here they are, Mexican actress Nora Salinas and Pinoy Rosalinda, Carla Abellana. Do you see the similarities or is it just me?

Michael Jackson, Dead or Alive?

2009-06-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

I was about to blog about Farrah Faucet's death a while back but I fell asleep. The acclaimed actress succumbed to her long battle with cancer. When I woke up, I was surprised that Faucet was no longer headlining the news but instead, it says that Michael Jackson has died. He was 50 years old.

It seems weird and the reasons are still unclear regarding Jackson's death. I am not really a fan and I don't care about him at all, but I am still not buying this piece of news. Is he really dead or this is just an act, just like all the dramas he has presented to the public in the past? Well if he is, condolences to his family. If not, I take it back.

I know that this may sound rude for someone who was acclaimed in the entertainment field. But as much triumph Jackson has brought to all those who look up to him, these would still not erase that although he was not charged with anything, he had faced lawsuits and controversies that involved child molestation. There may be some people now who had chosen to forgive him because he had an abusive childhood. But this fact will not ever change what could be the long term effects of what he had done to the children who had cried foul.

Adam Lambert is Proud to be Gay

2009-06-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

It should no longer be a surprise, actually. I think that everybody knew it, but then there were some who were still hoping that he'd turn out to be straight after all.

Adam Lambert, Kris Allen's runner-up on the most recent American Idol, announced that he is gay in style. You can read more about it on the latest edition of Rolling Stone magazine.

Here is Adam, who is proud to be gay. And he has a blooming love life as well oooh. Adam's special friend is Drake LaBry. I think that this is the same guy seen at the kissing photos that came while Idol was still running. According to Perez Hilton, the guy was not introduced to them by Adam as his boyfriend, instead he said that Drake is, "My boy."

Awwwwww!

Getting Sick of All the Katrina-Hayden Hullabaloo

2009-05-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

Before this blog could be mistaken as an official Kris Allen fansite, I ought to write about another topic even if I am still at a point where I can't believe that this season's Idol was through and that my bet actually won.

Filipinos are surely fed up by two people who are dominating local news, Katrina Halili and Hayden Kho. Now that most local politicians are also riding into the bandwagon, the situation has gone up to be a complete circus. For me, this issue should not have been treated as big as it seems to be because there are more problems in this country than a boldstar who was caught in the act by a sick pervert.

Okay, given the fact that other names, more respectable than Katrina's have been dragged in the issue, this could be settled on court and let Hayden suffer for his sickness and Katrina for her involvement in drugs, if ever that will be proven to be true.

It gives me chills whenever people say that Katrina is doing this to defend other women who have been into similar situations. She's like a representative of those who cannot speak for themselves and others say she is the new spokesperson for all women in general. I am a woman, but I refuse to be represented by someone like her. In the first place, it was her fault why she has been caught into this kind of dilemma. It is already bad that she was taped during an intimate scene, but to come out in public to get our sentiments, for me, was completely off.

Kudos to the other girl who is keeping her silence regarding the issue. She refuses to be seen in a media circus, complete with all the clowns at the Philippine Senate.

This is their problem, so spare the whole country from all the drama. And please, let us not vote for all the politicians who keep on involving themselves into this when there are still many unresolved and bigger issues that the country faces than this overblown issue.

I caught the evening news wherein the man, I think he is an ex-police official, Abner Afuang, who threw water on Hayden while the hearing at the senate was ongoing, was being interviewed. He said that he did that because he has seen the video and he is disgusted by how Hayden treated those girls that he had an affair with. So you have seen the videos, eh? You should also be disgusted of yourself then. Those videos will cease to exist as long as there are people like this ex-police official who are watching them. So shame on you.

Season Finale: Kris Allen's "No Boundaries"

2009-05-21T21:15:00.001-07:00

Want more American Idol videos? Click here.

Season Finale: Last 5 Minutes

2009-05-21T21:14:00.001-07:00

Want more American Idol videos? Click here.

Kris Allen Bags the American Idol Season 8 Title

2009-05-20T19:06:00.001-07:00

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

That was truly a delight. It was a brilliant finals night on American Idol Season 8. I knew that it was going to be Kris Allen from the start. He has the charm and charisma. He doesn't need the approval of know-it-all judges like Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. The public hears what these judges don't. Kris sings from the heart and he has the ability to capture the ears of those who didn't even intend to listen (or am I exaggerating things because I am a fan? Haha!)

It was a tough journey for Kris, though. The judges were so obvious that they wanted Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert to belt it out on finals night. Even the song that Kara co-wrote to be awarded to the winner of the season sounded like it was tailor made for Adam. But Kris surpassed all that and now he proudly sits in the throne of the champions. Both Adam and Kris will make it big in the industry eventually. Kris will likely follow Carrie Underwood's footsteps and Adam, well, he can set his own style, more on a theatrical and more dramatic version of whatever genre he will choose to take.

Congratulations, Kris Allen! Here's hoping to a brighter future for you in the music biz.

Kris Allen is One Step Away to Winning the Idol Fame

2009-05-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

As Simon Cowell said, it's going to be a ding dong night for next week's 2-part finale on American Idol Season 8 (whatever that means). Kris Allen deserves the spot more than Danny Gokey and as much as Adam Lambert. I think that people stopped voting for Danny after hearing his very infamous scream (and he'll always be remembered for it).

Kris and Adam are already headed for fame. With the right songs, these two can go on different paths on their career, Kris on a more mellow and pop tunes, and Adam on a theatrical rock (whoa!) type.

They are both deserving to win the title, but I still believe that it should be KRIS ALLEN FOR THE WIN =)

Kris Allen: "Apologize"

2009-05-12T23:57:00.001-07:00

Want more American Idol videos? Click here.

Kris Allen: "Heartless"

2009-05-12T23:56:00.001-07:00

Want more American Idol videos? Click here.

Kris Allen is Safe, Allison Got the Boot on American Idol 8

2009-05-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

The good news on the eliminations night of the American Idol 8 is that Kris Allen is safe. But sadly, Allison Iraheta has to go. And another sad thing was that we did not hear Danny Gokey repeat his hilarious performance because he did not get the boot.

I was holding back my breath while reading at Rickey's who went home. I am so happy to be wrong this time. I really thought that Kris would go. I hope that next week, the judges will be fair on their comments. They have been very vocal about their bias for Adam Lambert and Danny to be on the finals.

Kris Allen for the win!

What Happens When Danny Gokey Tries to Scream like Adam Lambert?

2009-05-06T07:59:00.000-07:00

I have seen the Top 4 Performance Night of the American Idol Season 8. But I was half asleep the whole time. I knew that Kris Allen would not shine on this one. The theme, which is Rock N Roll, is simply not his forte. And his performance gave out that he knew it as well. It was very obvious by the way he carried himself that night . He looks uncomfortable and he wasn't giving his best.

I lost all the zzz's after hearing Danny Gokey's last note on his song. It was like he was telling himself that he can belt like Adam Lambert and so he did. And the rest would forever erase his sob backstory on our minds and replace it with such hilarious moment. The judges were right, this deserves a Grade A for effort. If he hasn't been topping the iTunes download for his recorded songs, this song, specifically the last note, will surely be a favorite cellphone ringtone even for non-Gokey fans like me.

I hope that this won't be the end of the line for Kris. I can't watch tomorrow's live broadcast. I have a very bad feeling about Kris' fate and I really hope that I'm wrong.

Kris Allen for the win!

Matt Giraud, Out and Adam Lambert Landed on Bottom 2

2009-04-30T01:54:00.000-07:00

First off, kudos to the rest of the contestants for giving us a good show on the Top 5 Performance Night on American Idol Season 8. Now, we're no longer being tortured with so-so type of singing. I really can't forget when Scott sang The Search is Over, it almost has broken my eardrums. Oh well, I have moved on after the search really became over for Scott and Lil and now Matt. I intentionally left Anoop out. I would want to see him reach the Top 5 spot to know what else he can give. I know that he won't survive the Rock and Roll week eventually.

The eliminations night caught me by surprise. All along, I thought that Adam Lambert is indispensable. I thought that we are only waiting who is going to be pitted against him on finals night. Maybe people got too irritated with the judges' blatant commendation of the guy that they did not vote for him like they used to. And Allison, instead, got the votes that prevented her from landing in the Bottom 3. She was so good on performance night. I agree with other people that Simon said that he thought that she'll be in danger this week to make the sympathy votes pour into her phone line. It worked, right?

I refuse to like Danny Gokey but he was also good last Tuesday. Adam was being set up to win the ball game. He always has nice stage lighting, position and Tuesday's grand entrance. But the guy is also superb. I told you, the show is getting better as it comes near its end. Among all the contestants, Matt deserves his fate. It was written all over his face Tuesday night. If Allison still doesn't pose the "I will win" kind of confidence, Matt's looks give the "I will definitely be the one to be booted out next" impression.

Anything is still possible to happen. Much as the judges would like to think that it will be an Adam-Danny finale, it can still be anybody's ballgame. Is it too much to ask if I would wish for an Allison-Kris finale? That would be awesome. I still hope that Kris will make it to the finals and eventually win. I wonder how he will fare on next week's theme, which is Rock and Roll. He should really give his best because this is the genre where Allison and mighty Adam excel.

I Refuse to Watch Tayong Dalawa

2009-04-28T07:27:00.000-07:00

I am no longer watching Tayong Dalawa, sigh. I used to be an avid fan. The story was good, especially whenever Kim Chiu or Gerald Anderson is on screen. But now as the show progresses and it seems like the executives want to highlight Jake Cuenca as its main lead, I refuse to watch it.

I can't really take the sight of this former Kapuso star on screen. It was tolerable at first because the advertisements promised that this would be a Kim-Gerald-Jake soap. Right now, Gerald's character appears to be Jake's support. Kim's character was so stagnant, it is already irritating.

It will be better if Kim and Gerald will be taken out of this soap. Let's see how Jake would turn this to another flop like "Palos." The story is getting bigger and complicated, for Jake and some of the older casts. But Gerald and Kim are not being given what they rightly deserve. There are even days when they would be on screen for some minutes or even seconds, and the rest of the show would be dominated by Jake's over acting.

I think that the team-up of Gerald and Kim should not be treated as if Jake is a bigger star than these two. The publicists of Jake, the tandem of the equally hated tabloid columnists, Cristy Fermin and Alfie Lorenzo, are doing everything to ruin Gerald and Kim while pouring undeserved praises for their boy toy, Jake.

The second reason why I can no longer watch the show is because it is being pre-empted by the show of another former Kapuso actress that I hate seeing on screen, Angel Locsin. For the remake of Only You, ABS CBN management gave the show big budget and they even shot on location in Korea. Now that really makes me feel sad about the fate of Kim and Gerald's My Girl. The show was not as grand as Angel's Only You. But Kim got the attention of the public for being versatile and for being good in any genre given to her. Try to watch Angel's acting. She could be paired with Jake and the show should bear the title, "Over Acting Galore."

The management of ABS CBN should not blame the fans of Kim and Gerald for reacting violently about the news of a possible team-up of Gerald with Sarah Geronimo. They have not given the fans what they want to see from their favorite loveteam yet, a quality show where the two will be the leads and a quality movie far from the crappy launching material given to them.

And if ABS CBN really value their viewers, they will prioritize stars who started with them, whom most Kapamilya viewers would love to see often both on films and TV. If they will insist on bombarding the boob-tube with Jake Cuenca's irritating acting or Angel Locsin's trying hard acting(?), they will continuously lose their loyal viewers. It is not bad to be number 2. But when their morning show like Ruffa and Ai keeps being beaten by TV5's Bratz' reruns, it begins to feel shameful, ain't it?

American Idol Bids Adieu to Lil and Anoop (Instead of Matt!)

2009-04-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

It was supposed to be Disco Night on Tuesday's Top 7 Performance Night on American Idol Season 8. But most contestants turned the arrangement of their songs to sound like ballad, so it would be easier to sing (I guess). The ones who stood out that night were, of course, Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta.

For the elimination round a while back, Lil Rounds finally left the Idol stage. But it was Anoop Desai who got the boot instead of Matt Giraud, who, despite of good vocals, do not have what it takes to be a star. The bad news of the night was that Allison landed in the bottom 3 and she didn't deserve that.

Now here are the remaining finalists to compete for the rest of the season's episodes. It would have been nicer if it was Anoop who was included on the Top 5 rather than Matt.

A Wasted Save on American Idol Top 7 Elimination Round

2009-04-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

The judges used the Save on this season's American Idol for Matt Giraud who will likely be eliminated next week together with Lil Rounds. I don't know what's up with the judges. Maybe they just want the remaining contestants to feel the pressure so that they would perform their best and stop giving us, the viewers, mediocrity.

This is how I want the next episodes to be. Matt and Lil are going to be booted out next week. The next one will be Anoop Desai. No matter how he tries, it will be hard to gain the kind of popularity he once enjoyed because he let his true colors show too early. As a star, you should not only be mindful of how you perform in public. You should also be seen as someone with good character, especially when people are still judging if they want you to be a star or not.

After Anoop, it's time to bid Danny Gokey's sad stories goodbye. He is charismatic and he seems nice. But compared to the remaining three, he appears to be amateurish while the three are on their way to sounding like professionals.

Allison will be the next to go after Danny. But this girl will be given opportunities even if she won't be able to bag the big prize.

In the end, it will be Adam versus Kris. Adam will scream and screech, change his looks and even come out in the open about his sexuality. Kris is simply going to be Kris, like he had always been from the start and he will eventually win the competition.

This is how I want things to happen for this season's Idol. But as for now, I still have to endure one more week with Matt and Lil. After they are gone, the show will be more exciting to watch. And I might have a change of heart of who goes first before Kris will be announced as the American Idol Season 8 champ.

Kris Allen for the Win and the Other Performances on American Idol Top 7

2009-04-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

I'm listening now at the performances of the remaining 7 on the American Idol season 8 at Rickey's, of course. Allison, Anoop and Adam were okay. At this point of the competition, we ought to be amazed by their performances like how Adam did last week. But this feels strange, their performances aren't still giving out the star quality. They are still not able to convince us that their albums will be worth investing on or that we should pay to see them on a concert stage.

Matt Giraud had a "Beat It" moment. That was the worst song that Anoop will be remembered for. And Matt's Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman can cause him to lose the battle altogether. Well, I still haven't heard Lil Rounds.

Sorry Danny Gokey, you may have a good voice but I can't stand listening to the song that you chose. I am amazed though that someone still sings Diana Ross' Endless Love these days.

I am not familiar with the song Kris Allen chose. But wow, he gives me the chills. His performance could be included in a movie's OST and people will buy it. He definitely is the next Idol. I am dreading the next mp3 that I'd listen to. But well, for the heck of it, I want to know if Lil Rounds got to redeem herself this time. Um, I dozed off with the flats and was awaken when she tried to raise the very last note. Okay Matt, I think you are saved. Lil deserves to go home more than you do.

Hmm, my bets for the bottom 3 are Lil Rounds, Matt Giraud and Anoop Desai. I also love Anoop but I don't want to see Allison in that position. Lil will be booted out and Simon wouldn't want to give her a chance to impress them because there is no chance that the judges will save Lil.

Scott is Out of the American Idol 8 Ballgame

2009-04-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

Before the next performance night begins, here was the result of last week's elimination round. The good news is that we no longer have to be tortured with Scott MacIntyre's non-singing prowess. He might be good in playing the piano, but quit trying too hard with the electric guitar, and his voice is bordering to that of William Hung. But of course, he is an inspiration for how he stood tough throughout his life despite his condition. But the stage apt for professional singers is not for him. Maybe he is not the kind of blind person that hides behind dark eyeglasses like Stevie Wonder. But he is no Stevie Wonder and I don't think that he can ever be.

As for Adam Lambert's performance that made Simon Cowell stood up and applaud for what he had done, I think that people were more amazed at how Cowell reacted than on Lambert's show. Well, it was good. It was the best performance of the night. The start was good. There was the heart, the artistry, the drama on the whole getup. But admit it, he almost choked on the latter part. During the recap of how everybody did that night, Adam's part which was supposed to cap it all off was cut and was made too short because it ruined the overall appeal of his performance.

The way I see it, Simon gave the standing ovation because they could no longer give their comments due to lack of time. But still, Adam remains to be a very strong contender because he is becoming better and better. But I'm still rooting for Kris Allen. As for this week, I want Lil Rounds to be booted out.

All My Most Hated TV Actors in One Kapamilya Show

2009-04-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

Wow, ABS CBN really impressed me this time. I saw the write-ups at the very controversial PEP of the upcoming show about the pocketbook stories turned into TV series. I just can't believe that they have included all the stars that I hate seeing on TV in that show. This doesn't include Roxanne Guinoo, by the way, because she seems nice. I think that her showbiz career is being slowed down by her craziness when it comes to love.

The other casts of the show include ABS CBN's pet, Jake Cuenca. More actors deserve the kind of roles this one is getting. And the network is keeping him uber busy these days, with Tayong Dalawa, movie and this soon to be shown flop series. And the greater news is that Jake will be paired with Cristine Reyes. Again, there are many original Kapamilya stars who deserve the roles that she has been getting. This girl feels that she is already a big star. There was a time when she made an act ala-Heart Evangelista, by not accepting a role for an afternoon series because she wants her show to be on primetime. Who watched Eva Fonda? Raise your hands. Okay, one, two…

Valerie Concepcion, who likes this girl? Raise your hands. One… No more? Enough said.

And drum roll, Mariel Rodriguez. Well, at least this girl is no longer acting as if we are not aware that she is a bitch. She entered the PBB house as a sweet and bubbly girl. And she came out as herself, someone who hates the masses, loves to curse and loves talking about people behind their backs. I am beginning to like her actually because she is no longer pretending. She is naughty and sometimes bad, but she is no longer acting as if she's sweet.

So who is excited about this show? Raise your hands. Pssst (T2 mode). This is another suicidal move for ABS CBN. It would have been better if they casted the original PBB Season 1 housemates. This could be a reunion project and sort of thawing phase for their frozen careers.

Megan Joy Ended Her American Idol Journey

2009-04-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

Good news, the three top performers last night, Kris, Adam and Danny were all safe. Bad news, and so were Scott, Matt and Lil. Ms. Caw-Caw was the one who eventually said goodbye after the following series of events.

They were grouped into 3
Group 1: Kris, Matt and Megan
Group 2: Adam, Lil and Allison
Group 3: Scott, Danny and Anoop
For Group 1, Kris and Matt were safe. Megan Joy was part of the bottom 3.
For Group 2, Lil was safe. Allison went into the bottom 3. Adam was safe.
For Group 3, Danny and Scott were safe. Anoop was in the bottom 3.

Goodbye, Megan Joy.

The Hits and Mistakes of ABS CBN's New and Existing Shows

2009-04-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

Monday, March 30, ABS CBN introduced two new shows on its afternoon and primetime blocks. First up, Taiwanese drama, Hotshots, starring Jerry Yan, Show Lo and Wu Chun. Although the show can make you laugh once in a blue moon with Show Lo's antics that he has already shown with his other series, the pacing is too slow. I am not a basketball fan either, maybe it adds to the reason why I am only watching this to see more of Jerry Yan.

Pinoy Bingo Night, is boring. If not for Kris Aquino's too much effort to make the show lively, it will not do well even if they give out more prizes than its rival show. The concept itself is dragging. The rules and mechanics are very simple and predictable. There is nothing that the staff can do about it. They shouldn't have gotten this in the first place. You will only tend to watch it if you own a card and you are expecting to win, or if you are a fan of the celebrity player. There is no suspense element, like how it was with Deal or No Deal. It is boring. 1 Versus 100 will fare better than this one.

A quick note on May Bukas Pa. Yes, it is understandable that they want to stretch the story. But can't Santino be faced with situations and problems that normal children usually deal with? Why does he always get entangled with politics, broken families, poor economic condition of his locality, when in fact, he is just a child? My 4-year-old niece, who used to watch the show regularly, would now rather wrestle with me to use my PC to play the Bratz and Barbie online games.

End I Love Betty La Fea ASAP while I still regard Bea Alonzo and John Llyod Cruz with respect. The show is a trash. So it should be dumped immediately. And don't make this available on DVD. People are still waiting for the DVD release of Kim and Gerald's My Girl. It was a very good take on the original version and Kim Chui gave superior justice to the lead role. And I cannot say the same for ILBLF.

Speaking of Kim and Gerald, the story of Tayong Dalawa keeps on getting better. I am not a fan of Jake Cuenca so I am the saddest person on earth when they made it clear that his character is alive. But at least, I got to see him getting tortured like real. It was only during the time when he was able to act naturally, as if he was really scared.

As for Kim and Gerald, these two must be given a valuable movie project after this soap. Kim is very versatile but she excels in comedy. Gerald has proven in Tayong Dalawa that he can deliver quality drama performance. Such a good combination for something like Claudine-Rico starrer, Got to Believe or the Juday-Piolo hit, Till There Was You, or something even better.

The Three Top Performances on American Idol Top 9

2009-04-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

Only three contestants gave their best efforts on American Idol's Top 9 performance night. Of course, Kris Allen showed another brilliant proof that he is bound to be the champion of this season with his rendition of Ain't No Sunshine. Danny Gokey poured his heart out on his take to the Rascal Flatts' hit, What Hurts the Most. And well, even if I still don't like him, Adam Lambert made the other guys and gals look amateurish by not only singing but performing, Play that Funky Music.

I am not that keen with the elimination later on. For sure, Kris, Danny and Adam will be safe. And whoever goes home from the remaining candidates deserve such fate for giving us, Idol viewers around the globe, such lousy take on "artistry."

Michael Sarver Bids American Idol Season 8 Goodbye

2009-03-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

FINALLY!!!!! =)

And here is the order of the announcement of results:

Adam Lambert - safe
Matt Giraud - Bottom 3!
Kris Allen - safe (weeeeee!)
Lil Rounds - safe (really?)
Michael Sarver - Bottom 3! (as expected)
Allison Iraheta - safe
Anoop Desai - safe
Danny Gokey - safe
Megan Joy - safe (lucky gal)
Scott MacIntyre - Bottom 3! (weeeeee!)
Scott MacIintyre - safe (awwwww =( )
Matt Giraud - safe (he'd be saved by the judges anyway if he was the one left)
Michael Sarver tried to sing to please the judges, but as expected, they had this realization of how come they even included this big (cute) guy on the Top 36!
And finally, Michael Sarver is OUT!

Adam Lambert's New Look on the Idol's Top 10 Performance Night

2009-03-26T01:57:00.000-07:00

It was a Motown Night for the Idol's Top 10 performance. OMG, who is that new Idol? Whhhat? You mean, this is actually Adam Lambert? Where did they hide him all along? This guy is set out to create some buzz. Oh boy, now I want to check out his video first before I dig into Kris Allen's. I am watching this as usual at Rickey's. Let's see how Mr. Twilight turned Taylor Hicks look-alike fared.

Adam Lambert chose Tracks of My Tears. The performance was okay, some people may even find something special in it, especially when Adam took pains at changing his look to stage this. But I am really not a fan. I don't like his voice. I cannot feel the kind of emotions that hooked me to Kris Allen.

Kris Allen chose the song How Sweet It Is. That was good. I think that this is enough to make him part of the finals.

On to Anoop Desai with Oooo Baby Baby. He has a good voice. This is the first time that I heard the song and I almost fell asleep. I'm still an Anoop fan. But sorry, I can't finish the song. It might take me to dreamland.

My next favorite, Alison Iraheta, sang Papa Was a Rolling Stone. Yey, as usual, she rocks. That was a good choice of song that highlighted once again her potential to be a rock star.

Danny Gokey has chosen the song Get Ready. The song doesn't fit his style that is why he sounded like he was only trying to finish and get it all done.

Megan Joy Corkrey sang For Once in My Life. The song was good, but why did she sing it the way she did? It was so hard to listen to it. Is she still sick? She sounds like it.

Matt Giraud sang Let's Get It On. He sounded good and he has already proven that he can do justice with just about any type of song. But still for me, he is lacking the X-factor that will make me want to buy his albums or check him out on paid concerts.

The piano, oh yeah, there was a man behind it, Scott McIntyre sang You Can't Hurry Love. It was a confused performance. The man doesn't know whether he wants to make it sound like a love song or a dance tune. As a result, it sounded like a dance tune that was too slow. It was boring. Next!

Michael Sarver sang Ain't Too Proud to Beg. I am not really expecting much from this performance. I bet that Sarver would be part of the bottom 3 for the rest of the season as long as he remains in the competition. He doesn't sound like a pro and it might be hard to teach him how to do so.

Lil Rounds chose the song Heatwave. Ouch, it is so hard to listen to with headphones on. This performance can really damage one's hearing. Bottom 3!

Aside from Lil Rounds, the two other spots for the bottom 3 based on performance belong to Scott McIntyre and a tough choice between Michael Sarver and Megan Joy.

(photo credits to Rickey.org)

Manny Pacquiao is a Big Business

2009-03-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

Sadly, Manny Pacquiao himself doesn't know how to handle it on his own.

He shocked everybody last week when he appeared on ABS CBN to announce his decision to drop Solar Sports and GMA 7 and team up with the Kapamilya channel in airing his fights, including the one with Ricky Hatton on May 2.

Two of GMA 7's top executives as well as Solar Sports representatives immediately flew over to where the Pacman is training to see and talk things out with him. Maybe he saw it and he was talked to, because over the weekend, he is singing a different tune.

Now that Pacman has turned his back on ABS CBN, he has also made sure that he'd ruin the network's reputation by saying that what he said on TV was scripted and it was written by ABS CBN's lawyers. I am counting the days when he would retract such statement to say that it was also scripted and top executives of GMA 7 made him say those words.

He is a good boxer. I don't want to demean his intellectual capacity because I don't know the guy personally. What I see in him is someone who doesn't have pride, someone who doesn't know what integrity and loyalty mean.

He has gone up so high. He needs to be pulled back to remind him that he will not always be on top. He used to be hailed as someone who unites the Filipino people because of his intent to win on his fights. But now we're faced with the truth. For Manny, it's all about the money.

American Idol 8 Says Goodbye to Alexis Grace

2009-03-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

It was okay with me that Alexis Grace got booted out from American Idol. I thought she had something. But I didn't see that since the real competition began. But Allison Iraheta being part of the bottom 3? C'mon, she's better than Lambert! And Mr. Goodie Looking Guy, Michael Sarver, got saved. And he had the same sentiments like I do after he learned he was safe. Sarver said, "I'm gonna cry like a frickin' baby."

Kris and Anoop Did Best on American Idol's Top 11 Performance Night

2009-03-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to watch the Top 11 performance yesterday. But I did catch how Kris Allen and Anoop Desai did over at Rickey's. And boy, they did great. I am sure that these two will go a long way on this competition. They will beat two of Paula Abdul's fave, Robert Downey look-alike, Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert. Danny is okay for me, sometimes he is astonishing and sometimes he's just being upstaged by Kris or Allen, haha! But I can't really take in Adam. He looks like a rock star and performs like a professional theater actor, a total confused package.

I am betting that either Michael Sarver or Lil Rounds will go home tonight. Whatever happens, I am happy and looking forward to more of Kris and Anoop up until the finals.

Sarah Geronimo Must Be Careful in Choosing Her Next Leading Man

2009-03-14T02:03:00.000-07:00

With the success of A Very Special Love and its sequel, You Changed My Life, everybody seems to be in high spirits that a new Superstar was born. People are raving about Sarah Geronimo, how great she is and how she was able to achieve so much. Even Inquirer's entertainment columnist, Nestor Torre, weighed in on who is more deserving to sit on Sharon Cuneta's throne, should it be Sarah or KC Concepcion. But is Sarah the real reason why the said movies hit on the Box Office? I doubt it.

Personally, I went to see the first film because of John Lloyd. But I didn't get a chance to see the second one, although it's still on my plans. And yet again, I'll be watching it because of the male lead and the story. And I'll be interested to see the film even if it was Bea Alonzo playing the lead girl, or someone of Sarah's age like Kim Chiu.

I don't really have anything against Sarah. She is bubbly and she always seems to be happy. And that is what people love about her. She's fun to see. But that I think is not enough for people to see a movie just because she's in it.

There are talks that Viva and Star Cinema are planning to pair Sarah with Gerald Anderson. Now you don't want to touch something that is not broken, which is the Kimerald love team. How do these two companies think the fans would react? This is not the same case with the John Lloyd-Bea team-up. This pair has done lots of films and has graced many soap operas with the two of them as leads before they were paired off with anybody else.

As for Kim and Gerald fans, it is only normal that they will react violently about the issue of the latter being paired with Sarah. Yes, they have done a movie together, a launching movie that was like a music video stretched for more than an hour. It was a bad story, bad direction and a bad choice of launching material for a team-up that has a solid following. Now they are proving their worth by acting the best that they can give through the soap opera, Tayong Dalawa.

With TD's success, Star Cinema should be given a hint that it is high time to let this love team prove that they can do onscreen what they have achieved on TV. They should be given a good material and not a mediocre one like their first film. Their entry on the Manila Film Fest was also successful. It could have been more successful if only it was not of a horror genre and if Ms. Tadyang of the Kapuso network was not part of the trilogy.

Instead of thinking who should be paired with Sarah next, Star Cinema should focus more on who should they pair up with John Lloyd. Sarah may be popular, but she definitely is still not a Superstar. She has the makings to be one. But she still has a lot to prove and she has to do something with her voice. She no longer sounds as good as she used to when she was only starting (overexposure?).

As for the third installment of her team-up with John Lloyd, the creative team behind it should come up with something really unique but still fun. After that, Sarah should experiment on more serious roles, like how Sharon Cuneta did on Pasan Ko ang Daigdig. And she should be given a chance to shine without a known leading man. If she will be able to pull it off, then by all means, give her the crown and the title of being a genuine Superstar.

Jasmine and Jorge Eliminated on Idol 8

2009-03-12T04:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, good riddance for the first elimination round of this season's Idol. A new twist was introduced as well. The judges can save one contestant whom the audience did not choose. But this will only happen one time throughout the season. So they really have to hold on to that power and use it if ever Kris or Anoop would be placed in such position! Haha!

Well anyway, goodbye and let's forget about these two –Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez.

And now we should all be looking forward to more powerful performances from the rest of the bunch (I hope).

I Fear for Anoop after the First Idol Top 13 Performance

2009-03-10T23:54:00.000-07:00

Aw! I was only able to watch today's Top 13 Idol performance on Rickey's after the live feed.

I first clicked on Kris Allen's performance. He sang Remember the Time. I hope to forget his performance today. At this stage of the competition, you must focus more on singing than on pleasing the crowd, just so to make sure that you'll hit all the notes right. The use of guitar that served only as props didn't work either. But I am still hoping that you will be given the chance to show to the world that you can do better than that.

Anoop Desai sang Beat It. There, he sang that and let's forget about it. Gosh, what's happening with my two bets? They seemed to have gotten up at the wrong side of their beds. Or did they even get enough sleep at all? I am still not changing my bets, but I am really disappointed with them, hmp!

Danny Gokey sang PYT - Pretty Young Thing. He was so into it, I almost dropped Anoop from my faves and replace him with Danny. But really, it was a good performance.

Allison Iraheta chose Give In to Me. And she nailed it. It fits her voice as well as her personality. It sounded good, despite the too many HHH I heard on that performance. Hokay, Hh-I tHHHink tHHHat she'll make it through this round. She had her audience entertained.

Matt Giraud had a good choice of song. Human Nature fits his voice. It was okay. But I was bored. I don't know why. He lacks the X-factor to make it big. Let's see if his next performances, if ever he doesn't get eliminated, will prove me wrong.

Megan Joy Corkrey's performance of Rockin Robin was fun to watch because it looked like she was also having fun. But her usual pose and dance moves are starting to annoy me. It was a good decision that she finally held the mic and tried to move around the stage. She might as well resort to immediate choreography tips while she's still on the game.

Adam Lambert sang Black or White. He sounded like a pro. He actually sounded like the frontman of Aerosmith. There's no hint of nervousness. But I don't like him. Next!

Scott MacIntyre chose Keep the Faith. He has a nice voice. But the song is not a competition material. I got bored. And even Scott looked bored with what he was doing. Goodluck to him. I think he needs a lot of luck with such crappy performance.

I think that everybody knew that Alexis Grace could do what she had done with Dirty Diana. It was okay, but very predictable.

If only the competition is about who do you think looks the kindest among the bunch, Michael Sarver would win. I am not yet ready to hear anyone sing You Are Not Alone, but Jacko. It was boring. He needs to start working hard to remind people why is he part of the Top 13.

Lil Rounds did The Way You Make Me Feel. Why am I suddenly reminded of Fantasia? She's good but the performance is safe.

Jorge Nunez sang Never Can Say Goodbye and Jasmine Murray opted for I'll Be There. I don't think Jasmine is ready for this type of competition. Jorge is, but failed to impress even himself with his performance.

I don't want to guess who will be part of the bottom 3. I fear that Anoop would be included, aw!

A Promising Season 8 for the American Idol

2009-03-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

If not for a client that made me write stuffs about American Idol Season 8, I wouldn't really be interested to follow the show. I am a big fan of the show since it started. I already have too many past-Idol favorites that I no longer want to add any more names on the list.

I love Carrie Underwood, pre and post Idol. She is one gem that will last in the industry if she continues to handle herself well. Bo Bice is unique and has a big talent. But he has to create good music that will have global appeal in order to advance with his seemingly quiet career. The list won't be complete without the recent two Davids, Archuleta and Cook, who both have won people's hearts around the globe.

This season already showed lots of drama. That is only expected with the emergence of Tatiana del Toro, the Saving All My Love for You diva. During the auditions, one woman came up in a bikini. She may have not gotten the judges' approval, but for sure, offers from men's magazines are lining up her door.

Out of the Top 36, one was immediately disqualified before the contestants were formally presented. Joanna Pacitti was replaced by Felicia Barton for the spot on the Top 36. Pacitti had a long list of achievement in terms of her professional music career. She was even able to release an album under Geffen Records. And aside from that, she was said to be once involved with someone who is an executive at 19 Entertainment, which was founded by Simon Fuller, the creator of the original Idol.

And so three rounds of eliminations were made and people had chosen their picks for what we all thought would be the Top 12. The first three who made it were Danny Gokey, Jeremy Michael Sarver and Alexis Grace. Of these three, Gokey had the saddest back story because his wife died seven months before he went into the Idol auditions. But regardless of such tragic detail, he seems to have the strongest potential among the three.

The second round paved the way for Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen to be part of the Top 12. Allison is also a strong candidate in this group. She is only 16, but she sang Alone with such heart and soul. But among the three, I am placing my bet on Kris Allen. I loved how he sang Man in the Mirror. I am looking forward to his next performances.

There were so many good performances on the third round. It was really hard to choose who would be part of the Top 12. All three who were selected deserved the spot. They were Lil Rounds, Scott McIntyre and Jorge Nunez.

After the top 9 spots were filled, it was the judges' time to choose the people whom they like to see on a Wildcard Round. It was an emotional night, because Tatiana was on it who belted her third rendition of Saving All My Love for You for this season's Idol. After it was announced that Jasmine Murray, Megan Joy Corkery and Matt Giraud will continue with their Idol quest, Simon shocked everyone by saying that they have decided to make it a Top 13 this season. And the 13th placer is Anoop Desai, my new favorite. Now I am torn between him and Kris.

Now that I know them all, I have got to continue with my addiction. And I can't help but wait along with the many spectators of the American Idol all around the world if it's going to be Kris or Anoop who is going to bag the grand prize this season. Haha! Seriously though, whoever wins the top spot eventually will surely be remarkable because the group is composed of talented and notable peeps. The people behind the show may have learned a lot from the batches where Taylor Hicks and Jordin Sparks came from. And now they are all set to create stars and not add to the mediocrity that the recording industry is already filled with.

Farewell to the Master Rapper

2009-03-06T01:06:00.000-08:00

It was hard watching the usually jolly crew of the noontime show, Eat Bulaga, holding back their tears after the announcement was made that Francis Magalona, a former co-host of the show, has died.

But well, they made it through and it was announced that tomorrow's show will be a tribute to the Master Rapper. I wonder how this will affect tomorrow's reunion concert of the Eraserheads. Ely Buendia, its frontman, is a close friend of Francis and they have been collaborating on an album, the Sickos Project, which many fans are now awaiting its release. Francis used to update the status of the project on his Multiply site, where he also announced about his situation and asked for prayers from people.

To the family, friends and fans of the Master Rapper, condolences. And to Francis M., may you have a safe journey to our Father's home.

Annabelle Rama's Threats to GMA 7 that Most Kapamilyas are Dreading to Happen

2009-03-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

I am not sure about what tactics GMA 7 has been implementing to develop and make their stars famous because obviously, most of their stars remain to be forgettable. This is aside from one, Richard Gutierrez, period. The fact is that GMA's lady exec, Wilma Galvante, is gaining juicier gossips that have been paving the way for people to remember her, but in a negative way. If only those gossips had been attributed to their nameless stars, they would get their chance to be put on a spotlight once and for all and be known to all those who watch TV, and not by a few who live in Mega Manila and happen to have the AGB meter installed on their antennas.

The Dingdong-Marian team-up is just hype. People love the shows that they've been featured on. But people would have same reaction no matter who were the actors playing the roles that these two had played. This can be proven by their flop movie. People won't bother to pay their hard earned money to see these two lousy acting on the big screen. And this is now a stronger claim due to the poor reception and low ratings that their current soap has been getting.

Before GMA 7 could work out what projects should they give these two in the future, they must first force Dingdong and Marian to undergo serious acting workshops. They are not getting any younger. And people have seen enough of their flesh, they are raring to see some serious acting from them (and well, from all GMA talents who were not previously managed by ABS CBN).

I really didn't care about the tirades being exchanged by Anabelle Rama and Wilma Galvante. That is until I heard in the news today that Rama is planning to pull out all her talents from GMA and move them all to ABS. Oh no, is this another Becky Aguila in the making? Until now, I can't force myself to watch Angel Locsin and Valerie Concepcion on TV. And with Rama's plans, and if ever ABS would agree with that, that will definitely be a disaster for most Kapamilya stars, especially those who are still waiting for projects. Most Kapamilya viewers wouldn't like it either. I don't know who this JC is and I don't have plans to know him either. Let him stay with GMA and soon enough, people will forget about him just like the other artists over at the Kapuso fence.

One important realization that came out during the peak of this Anabelle-Galvante word war is that Galvante said that Heart Evangelista was not the reason why Luna Mystica is getting good ratings (in Mega Manila). Galvante said that people love their fantasy series and they would watch it no matter who are included on the cast. In other words, people don't really care about their stars. Here is an excerpt from Ms. Rama's interview on PEP :::

"Parang nakakasakit na sinabi ni Wilma sa nanay ni Heart na kaya nag-number one
ang Luna Mystika dahil inaabangan ng masa ang fantaserye ng GMA. Sabi ng nanay,
'Ibig sabihin, yung pagod ni Heart na pagpapalit ng mukha dahil sa prosthetic,
na-hospital pa, hindi man lang nila na-appreciate? Wala man lang credits?' So,
matutuwa ka ba? Kaya ako nagwawala dahil sa mga alaga ko. Hindi ako nagwawala
dahil naiinis ako."

I don't really care about the people involved in this issue. I just want to express my concerns for ABS CBN who may later get the services of the stars that Ms. Rama is handling. That would be a very unwise move and for sure, most Kapamilyas are dreading for such event to transpire.

And the Oscar Goes To...

2009-02-22T21:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't watched the Best Film yet, but now that it has bagged the gold, for sure, many people like me are going to be interested to look for a copy or catch it in theaters. Here are the other winners of this coveted prize. Thank God, Benjamin Button did not win the Best Picture award.

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor: Sean Penn (Milk)
Best Actress: Kate Winslet (The Reader)
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Christina Barcelona)
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Best Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black (Milk)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Animated Feature: Wall-E (Andrew Stanton)
Best Animated Short Film: La Maison En Petits Cubes (Kunio Kato)
Best Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Costume Design: The Duchess (Michael O'Connor)
Best Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Greg Cannom)
Best Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire (Anthony Dod Mantle)
Best Live Action Short Film: Toyland
Best Documentary Feature: Man On Wire
Best Documentary Short Film: Smile Pinki
Best Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Sound Editing: The Dark Knight
Best Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire (Chris Dickens)
Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire (A.R. Rahman)
Best Original Song: "Jai Ho" (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Foreign Language Film: Departures (Japan)
Special Award: Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Jerry Lewis

The Perfect Homebased Job EVER!

2009-02-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

I am not currently looking for a job, and I won't fit this one either hehe! So I'd like to share with you all this advertisement that was part of yesterday's Breaking News section of INQUIRER.net.

Think "hard" before you submit your applications. Be sure that you are ready for the further training that will be provided once you are chosen.

Here are the "juicy" details that really made my day! Kudos to whoever conceptualized the idea. I hope they get the winners interviewed on TV, weee! And about my own title, sorry if it is slightly misleading. The job can actually be done wherever you are hehe!

Wanted: Condom testers
By Thea AlbertoINQUIRER.netFirst Posted 17:50:00
02/04/2009
MANILA, Philippines—Are you married, have “strong knees”, and looking for a job? Try condom testing.
Durex condom is looking for 500 official condom testers in the Philippines. And all you need to do is try out Durex products for four weeks and comment online on their quality.
The first to accomplish the form and give the best answer to the question "What makes me the best Durex Condom Tester?" will win P50,000 cash, plus free products from Durex.
On it's website, Durex said applicants have to go to http://www.durex.com.ph/ and click on the portion that will lead them to durexcondomtester.com.ph where they can fill out a screener form.
“Chosen applicants will also be given a tester kit which contains a pack of each of the following Durex variants -- Love, Pleasuremax, Performa, Fetherlite, Tingle, Strawberry,” Durex said.
Tester kits will be sent to chosen applicants via courier, it said.
Candidates must be 21 to 35 years of age, married, and "experienced." Participants must also be "open to further training," have "strong knees," and "willing to work long hours."
So guys, wanna give it a try?

Why I Chose Benjamin Button Over Papa Piolo?

2009-01-26T09:56:00.000-08:00

I was able to sit through 2 hours and 39 minutes and got to know all the characters and understood the complex story of Brad Pitt's Oscar-nominated film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The story is about a man who ages backwards. The story telling was unique. But if you want to watch it, you must make sure that you've eaten enough or you have snacks with you. It is longer than what I expected it to be.

At times, the story becomes dragging that leaves me thinking, why am I still holding on? Why am I still sitting and watching the film? True to the title, you will become curious as to how his life would end. It was so perfect. He did not even get himself into any big time accidents. And that was something that I find to be the movie's main flaw.

Again, the storytelling was great. It was full of emotions. It was human. This is mainly because of the path that Benjamin's life was leading to, the revelations to the daughter and the emotions of the lover who would later act as a mother to the father of her child. All the characters were given their own spotlights. You will know each of them to the core after finishing the film.

What makes this something to watch out for is the uniqueness of its story. But aside from the acting and the technical aspects of the film, I don't think that this one deserves an Oscar trophy. But for all the efforts that was made to make me understand everything about how it's like to grow young, the money that I spent to see this film was all worth it.

Love Me Again

As much as I want to show my support to Piolo Pascual for his latest movie project under Star Cinema, I can't convince myself to go see this film. I am a certified Piolo fan. But after watching the trailer over and over again at the Kapamilya network, it made two impressions to me. Piolo is handsome. Angel is beautiful.

The focus became more on how would they be able to utilize the locations, Bukidnon in the Philippines and Australia. They used a very used concept and story that has been shown and rehashed not only in films but on soap operas as well. It was obvious that Star Cinema just wanted to give Angel Locsin a project fast, before the former Kapuso talent regrets her decision of jumping over to the Kapamilya fence.

Having two beautiful leads is not enough for a moviegoer to see the film. I don't think that this is a success, no matter how the network may later try to argue such statement. What went wrong? Here are only some of my sentiments.

1. The concept of Lobo, the TV series where the Angel-Piolo tandem first teamed up was too complicated to be fleshed out on TV. This may be the reason why it did not also leave any positive impression to the TV viewing public, whereas, the concept of Love Me Again appears to be so thin to be even made into film.

2. The producers should have experimented more on Angel. She hasn't still proven her bankability in terms of films. And the team-up doesn't have enough following yet. So it was really a bold move to place the two on a very simple concept that would have earned more if it was Piolo and Judy Ann Santos on the screen. Such partnership has legions of fans that are willing to see their idols onscreen even for such a concept as this film.

3. It opened when some of the movies which were part of the Manila Film Fest last year were still showing. I would rather catch up watching Baler (although I did not hehe!), knowing beforehand that at least it won the Best Picture award, than to waste my money on a film that I knew from the teasers I really wouldn't like.

4. Instead of a love story, they could have casted the two on a heavy family drama feature, ala-Tanging Yaman, that people will be interested to watch and rave about even after it was shown. This is the kind of career move that Angel needs badly now, to create a good impression, that ABS CBN, nor Star Cinema have not given her the chance to do as of yet.

In these times when money is so hard to earn, movie producers must give people more than enough reasons to convince them that it will all be worth it to catch their films.

What ABS CBN Must Realize From the Success of Tayong Dalawa?

2009-01-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

Now that ABS CBN has finally found a gem that caught a lot of people's attention, thus the consistent high ratings of the show, the network must learn from their past mistakes. Tayong Dalawa, the Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson starrer is a rich concept with a very good ensemble of the best character actors in Philippine showbiz. The story and its execution is a treat to the viewers.

I never thought that Gerald would be able to convince me that he is poor and that he grew up in Tondo. The young actor proved that learning how to speak in natural Tagalog is not that hard to do even for someone who grew up in the States. This is something that must be admired by the likes of Sam Milby and Martin Nievera, even though the latter seems to have no intention of doing so. Maybe he is still aspiring to achieve a Hollywood career.

I love Kim for the person I knew since PBB days. She is bubbly, hardworking and appears to be a very positive person. Her acting has also improved a lot as she lasts in the industry. The only thing that she must seriously put her heart into is in gaining more weight. We want our champ to be healthy despite the various tasking projects that she is being put into, right?

Kim was the right Jasmine for My Girl. She was so funny at the show. I hope that ABS CBN will soon release a DVD of the series because I am sure, many people are waiting to get hold of one. My Girl had everything right. But it would have been a bigger hit if it was transformed into film. Many TV viewers still knew very much about the story of the said series when it was aired, hence the lower outcome in terms of ratings.

And this is something that the creative bosses of ABS CBN must be very careful about. Do not fill the boob tube with remakes, especially hits like My Girl, that many people would prefer seeing the original version.

This is also true with I Love Betty La Fea. Yeah, the American version launched the career of America Ferrera. The concept was inspired by the original version, but the overall execution veered away from it. As for our TV version of Betty, it seemed to be following the original one at the start. They even copied the face of the Spanish Betty when she was still ugly. But the result became too forced. Bea Alonzo, as well as Vhong Navarro, looked like retards than ugly. Now they seem to be implementing a newer version by introducing unplanned casts, making the story go out of line. They should have done such move from the start. On a positive note, Jericho's appearance on the soap was strong. He could have been a better Armando. And ABS CBN could have used someone who really looks plain in real life, as Betty. They could have used someone from their roster of talents in their big freezer to launch her career as Betty.

But the good thing about I Love Betty La Fea is that it showed some hints that Bea is effective in lighter and slight comedic roles. The material hasn't given her enough scenes to prove the point. I hope that the remakes of Meteor Garden and Lovers in Paris will not push through. It is time to make our own hits. It is time to follow the lead of Tayong Dalawa. After seeing the tandem of Bea and John Lloyd in heavy drama roles, people would love seeing them on a light romantic comedy series that is an original concept.

My now 4-year-old niece watches TV and loves Kim Chiu. So she stays tuned all throughout Betty La Fea, watches Tayong Dalawa, and then we either turn off the TV or watch what the rival network is featuring. The reason for this is ABS CBN's bold move to include a bold series in its lineup. People are not yet ready for series like Eva Fonda. It is so 80s, story wise. And I don't know about the rating of Pinoy Fear Factor, but the show is so gross that it would have been better if they had shown it weekends on a late timeslot.

Another star that is capturing people's interests via Tayong Dalawa is Coco Martin. I have heard of the scandals that he has gotten himself into in the past. I don't know if that will affect his rise to stardom. But his role in the series is meaty and he definitely gives justice to such. He could have passed as the other David Garcia, Jr. People love Gerald. But much as the executives of ABS CBN hate to admit, Jake Cuenca will never be a big star as what they want to portray him to be. If they will insist on it, people will only hate the starlet all the more. There are other qualified stars of ABS CBN than this one. And if he will keep on getting the good roles, the rumor about him being linked to a gay executive of the network won't die.

I have seen the teaser of May Bukas Pa. This will also be something to look forward to if it will be placed on the primetime block. I know, I have watched the concept over and over again through time. But who can resist a cute child with a good story and hopefully good execution to back him up?

The still to-be-seen Judy Ann Santos' soap needs to be seen now, fast. When they thought about the concept, the boom of the nursing profession was the talk of the town. They have to air the soap before people lose interest at such idea.

There are still a lot of factors that the Kapamilya network needs to reconsider before it regains the number one spot in all aspects of the ratings war. It is a good thing though that they seem to be learning from their mistakes by giving us a masterpiece like Tayong Dalawa. The expectation for the next series to be aired next is high. So it better be good. And please show the Judy Ann soap for heaven's sake!

A Recap of the Past and Recent Showbiz Scoops

2009-01-10T05:51:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I have been slacking around towards the end of 2008 up until the start of this year. To all of you who loves the showbiz world and of course the gossips, belated Merry Christmas and New Year as well!

In Hollywood, John Travolta's teenage son was laid to rest. The 16-year-old boy had a seizure that caused his death.

Locally, while everybody was cheering for Manny Pacquiao's win over pretty boy Oscar dela Hoya, the family, fans and friends grieved for the sudden death of young TV personality, Marky Cielo.

Up until now, Marky's death is still a popular subject on text messaging. There are many speculations with regards to the cause of what happened. And people want to hear one voice in this matter, LJ Reyes. Is she pregnant? Did Marky get death threats that caused whatever has happened? There are yet so many unanswered questions. But if the actor chose to forever hold his peace regarding the issue, let us respect that and stop all the hush-hush. I won't talk about it anymore, promise =) … well, not unless something big comes up that has to be blogged.

Brad Pitt in a recent magazine interview acknowledged that he still keeps in touch with Jennifer Aniston. He came on her defense with the negative opinions that Jen received with her "uncool" statement in a magazine interview that was blown out of proportion. As for Jen, she seems to be going fine and happy with her current flame, John Mayer. She shocked us all when she did a sexy GQ magazine cover. I wasn't ready to see my favorite "Friend" too adult and far from being Rachel Green. But she was also shocked because she admitted that it wasn't supposed to be like that. The concept that was presented to her was different from the end product.

Hmm, so what else did I miss? The local news was filled with deceits, lies and cheap issues. First up, Dingdong Dantes and Karylle split. Karylle was asked by Boy Abunda on "The Buzz" if she thinks that Dingdong's rumored girlfriend is pregnant. Karylle smiled while thinking. I was also thinking that time, where did that question come from? There wasn't even a hint or a bit of smoke regarding that. Was Boy testing how Karylle would react? Before the latter could finalize her thoughts, Boy ended the interview, making it look like the poor girl actually hinted that Marian was pregnant.

And then we saw Marian Rivera on the presscon of their movie, crying her heart out and stealing the scene from her co-stars. Was it really Karylle that brought her frustrations? Or was it the reporter who told her upfront that she is "plastikada," meaning that she is really very far from what she's trying to portray in front of the cameras.

Well, as for me, Angel Locsin looks better than Marian who looks old for her age. And Karylle seems to be smarter than her. But Marian is simply lucky. She became her home network's most precious last year. Let's see if she can hold it up to this year when Heart Evangelista appears to be a big threat to her throne on the Kapuso side of the warring networks.

As per the Kapamilya, they retained Deither Ocampo who had almost jumped over the fence last year. They still got Judy Ann Santos, but why are they hiding her? The young superstar isn't visible on any of their shows. They got Karylle… hmm, I still think that she lacks the X factor to be famous like her mom.

Oh God, I refuse to blog about the Vicki Belo-Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili circus. I'm sure you have heard of it. This is just how I look at the matter. Katrina is easy to get. Hayden is a gold digger. And Vicky Belo is very willing to be a sugar mommy (wag lang papahuli)!

Did I miss out on anything? That is the recap of the recent and not-so recent showbiz scoops since the last time I posted till this day. I hope that there will be more blog-worthy events and tsismis in the coming days. Oh please, stop featuring the broken hearted Hayden Kho and don't make him sing his sick composition to his "Vicks." If they have a problem to solve, don't let the public know about it. I'm sure they won't mind. I won't! =)

Jennifer Aniston – On Brad Pitt and Everything Else that Came After

2008-11-13T07:03:00.000-08:00

Both their films are set to open come Christmas day. So it is just very natural for us to hear about Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt more and more before their films hit the big screen. And also be prepared to hear more about Angelina Jolie. She's part of the equation now and she will always be, whether we like it or not.

After Jolie gushed over how her romance with Pitt bloomed at the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith while the latter was still very much married with Aniston, it was expected that people would wanna hear about Jen's reaction. And what she said, of course, toppled off all news about the new US president.

Jennifer told in an interview with Vogue magazine that what Angelina said regarding the issue was very uncool. When Jen sat with Oprah for the promotion of Marley & Me, she explained that she was asked a question that she answered as honestly as she could.

During the Oprah interview, Jen was asked about her former husband. She said that she is happy for him. She appreciates the amazing things that Pitt was able to do for the last couple of years. She exclaimed that she is happy for Mr. & Mrs. Smith, er, Mr. & Mrs. Pitt (or Mr. Pitt & Ms. Jolie?). And she also said that she is over with Pitt and feels like the separation happened 100 years ago.

Oprah was also able to ask Jen about her current flame, John Mayer. Her reply was, "I've been unbelievably lucky in love… It just might not look the way it's supposed to look at this point."

Since Jen's very public split with Brad Pitt and the circumstances that brought the incident, people have been wanting to see her happy and settled. Well, as a fan, John Mayer was not exactly the kind of guy that I imagined her to end up with. But well hey, if he makes her happy, so let it be.

As for the clash of her film with Pitt's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Aniston joked if they can just have a tie. Well, it will be up to the viewing public now. Both films have promising premises. Pitt's movie deals with a man who ages backwards. And Jen's film is about how the world's worst dog was able to change the life of the people it dealt with for the better.

There is Hope for My Only Hope

2008-11-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am still watching My Only Hope, Sundays after ASAP 08 at ABS CBN. First of all, thank you for the obvious effort to bring kilig to the fans. But what used to be a promising start seems to be dwindling to the sloppy-story road.

Come on, creative peeps of ABS CBN, you know you can do better than that. The latest episode seemed to be done on a rush. Yeah, people would love to see the main leads fall in love, kiss, hug and everything else that was shown on the latest episode. But this completely shattered the good foundation of this Sunday drama series.

The show has already set up so many good points.

Gerald’s emo character has paved the way for this kind of get-up and attitude to become popular and known to this day’s generation. I wasn’t really paying attention to such before My Only Hope aired. And Gerald was good playing the role of Keeno. He really has done a lot to make the character very convincing.

The Boracay setting for the show’s first airing was a sight of fresh air for weekends’ couch potatoes like me. It was new and it contributed to the excitement over the progress of the story.

Gerald and Kim have shown lots of improvement in terms of acting. And Enchong Dee must not be overlooked. He is also beginning to show signs of progress by portraying his role the best he can.

Tomy Abuel, being the veteran actor that he is, showcases what old school and powerful acting is all about. He sets a good example to the younger casts of the show.

The new guy who plays the role of Rick, Keeno’s brother, is also promising. But he still has to overcome some apparent shyness and learn how to act tougher.

Kudos to Miguel Escueta for a very fresh, innovative rendition of the main theme. This was like what David Cook has done for Always Be My Baby. Miguel was able to make me forget about the original version of Mandy Moore.

Let’s go to the negative points.

The story is becoming too predictable. It’s like showcasing the best or memorable scenes from both local and foreign dramas and collating them all on this one. So Keeno was the one who accidentally killed April’s (Kim’s character) father. Jessie (Nina), who already died, has a twin who looks exactly like her. The rich family of Keeno will not approve of his relationship with poor girl, April. Yang (Regine), who has owned up to the responsibility for most of his boyfriend’s expenses, is actually a call girl (oh wow, very 80s eh?) I am just waiting for an amnesia element and I’ll conclude that the creative team for this drama is composed of 50 to 70 year old folks.

When I watched My Girl, I thought that David Chua who plays April’s brother on this one was only faking his enunciation to make people believe that he cannot speak Tagalog. But hey, he still sounds like he cannot speak the language on this one even if his role is very much a Filipino.

Another character that wasn’t able to come out of her My Girl’s character is Alex Gonzaga. She was funny at My Girl because she sounded gay and she was supposed to be comic. But now, the manner that she speaks is already becoming too irritating since she is not a funny one in My Only Hope.

The latest episode brought many disappointing turns with regards to the flow of the story.

After one date, April loves Keeno already. Um, this can be true, I don’t doubt it. I am a believer of true love, naks! But we must remember that April is only recovering or is actually in the process of forgetting about her feelings for Jhun (Enchong’s character). Keeno’s presence must cause her to be very disturbed and lost for rational explanation why she’s all of a sudden feeling the way she does whenever this emo guy is around.

And Keeno is also recovering from a loss of a loved one and guilt for what happened. It will be better if we will see him fighting his real feelings for April and thwarting her from becoming too close. Rather than saying that he used to dislike people like April who has so much happiness in life, he must have demonstrated that first before becoming involved with her type.

The Jhun-April story should have been given more depth. It couldn’t end one night after April’s first date with Keeno. It would really be hard to decide, especially when the intention of June (Keeping his promise to April’s dad) was so pure. At June’s proposal, April should instead have said that she’ll think about it. And then she will be torn between the two.

This is the problem when you put in too many details, too many conflicts and loads of characters that have lots of emotional baggage with them, in a series that will only be watched once a week.

Kim, Gerald and Enchong are becoming too good as actors for the confused story that they were made to portray. The creative team should focus more on fixing the story of these three and making it more believable and well-thought of. Forget about the twin of Nina’s character. She shouldn’t be given too much exposure. She might cause a little jealousy between April and Keeno, then she should be out of the scene completely.

While I am on my Kimerald addiction last Sunday, I also saw the trailer of the upcoming primetime teleserye of the two, Tayong Dalawa. They will be with my most hated Kapuso transferee, Jake ‘Yabang’ Cuenca. Oh please, there is no hope for this guy. Throw him back to GMA or to your Kapamilya freezer and thaw one talented actor to hone for the role, just like what you did with Enchong.

As for My Only Hope, I really wish that they can still fix the script before the story becomes too predictable and too old as a concept. If that’s the case, ABS is only proving that they are running out of good creative talents, reason why they have to resort to remakes of hit TV series from other countries. But I know that this is not true, so prove me wrong, will you?

The News that Hit and Failed the Spot

2008-11-06T05:33:00.000-08:00

Big News: Barack Obama was elected as the US' 44th President.

Sad News: Jurassic Park author, Michael Crichton died of cancer. He was 66.

Intriguing News: "I'm off women now." That is according to Idol judge, Simon Cowell, after it was reported that he has broken up with long time girlfriend, Terri Seymour. Let's just wait and see if Cowell is bound to the direction that Clay Aiken has gone to.

Get your pillows ready, for here are some boring news:

As for the local showbiz scene here in the Philippines, nothing much is happening. The pages of the dailies as well as online showbiz magazines like PEP, are bombarded with showbiz tidbits about stars who aren't really worthy to be read.

Karylle and Dingdong breakup. Honestly, when they were still on, did you even follow what was happening to their relationship? Now that they have admitted that they have broken up, after so much beating around the bush, Tsismosa says, SO WHAT?
Marian Rivera's breakup with her non-showbiz boyfriend and her non-involvement with the breakup of Dingdong and Karylle. Yeah, yeah, you know, these people are not using such issues for the promotion of their upcoming boring movie (but I am open to be proven wrong). Believe it or not, Tsismosa says, NEXT!

Jennylyn Mercado continues to hate Patrick Garcia and she's being very vocal about it. Yeah, it is understandable for this girl to feel that way. But can't she just keep it off the record? It is becoming a redundant issue that no matter how I may sympathize with the girl at first, even if I don't really know her and haven't seen any of her projects, I am just getting too fed up with this. Tsismosa says, ENOUGH ALREADY!

The Yasmin or Jasmin-JC something calling names or not calling each other by their names hehe! Confused? Me too! I don't even know who these people are. Tsismosa says, SINO DAW!
The sikuhan issue of 2 GMA starlets, Jewel and Bubbles. Owkay... so whose elbow hit what, where and when? Tsismosa says, NEVER MIND!

Becky Aguila vs Mel Pulmano. The issue? Money! Becky accused Mel of stealing big amount of money from her roster of talents. The controversial manager made it appear that Mel would release some negative publicity about her prized talent, Angel Locsin, if the issue would come out in the public. But have you seen Mel? You know how Becky looks like, eh? I know, a book must never be judged by its cover. But just one look at these 2 and you will get a feeling of who is really telling the truth. As for Ms. Aguila, she has proven how greedy she can be when she chose money over loyalty in the case of Angel when she made her jump off onto a lonelier fence. Tsismosa says, WHAT'S NEW?

The continuous domination of GMA 7 on Mega Manila's ratings game. I can't really appreciate their shows. Most of them, especially on the primetime block, are too un-original and nakakasawa na! It's not enjoyable to watch stars who lack the needed X-factor to shine. But it's becoming more painful as you get to see them perform in a mediocre way, makaraos lang! Tsismosa says, WORKSHOP YOUR TALENTS, GMA!

Criselda Volks admitted that she was the girl on the sex video. Um... okay. This girl has done enough damage to her life. She should start cleaning up her acts before it becomes too late. Hay, Tsismosa says, NEXT!

Snooky Serna has a new man in her life. Okay, good for her, end of issue.

Willie Revillame's house was robbed. Tsismosa says, DO NOT DO UNTO OTHERS WHAT YOU DO NOT WANT OTHERS DO UNTO YOU.

There are some stars that people love hearing about even if the news is only about their usual day-to-day activities. And there are those who are becoming involved in complicated situations but yet, fail to catch the interest of the viewing public. This only means that not because you are in the news, not because you've got the most headlines on PEP, or your manager is writing about your feats in showbiz columns at Pilipino Star Ngayon or even The Philippine Star and Inquirer, means that people actually care about you.

Showbiz news, especially on the local scene, can never be the measurement of who is hot and who is not in the industry. There are really those "stars" who fail to hit the spot no matter what they do for the sake of being talked about.

Prove Me Wrong, Marian and Dingdong

2008-11-04T07:13:00.000-08:00

GMA network is confident about their newest gems, Marian and Dingdong, enough to produce a film for this love team. The two rose into fame when Angel Locsin decided to leave GMA to what she (or her pa-kontrobersiyal manager) thought would be a better choice (but is proving to be disastrous). The team-up was warmly accepted by the public via the TV show "Marimar," despite their lack of good acting abilities.

Through time, the two keep on proving that they really have captivated the hearts of the boob-tube fanatics. They have been trusted with product endorsements as well. Their latter venture hinted that they are not that picky with the projects that they get. Marian looked like a bold star with her last ad for a soap or something. I can't recall because I always change the channel whenever she's on. And they have done ads for liquors and alcoholic beverages. I will not be surprised if they will agree on endorsing condoms in the coming days. But this is just my take on this.

Personally, I don't like Marian. There is something about her that turns me off. I stopped buying the products that she endorses. As for Dingdong, I used to like him way back his TGIS days. But through time, I still haven't seen him grow as an actor. He seems to be following the career path of Piolo Pascual. But one thing that he has to improve on is the reality that Piolo can act while Dingdong still has to do a lot of catching up.

I hope that Dingdong will really take his profession seriously. He will not forever look like a hunk. He has to show some real tears and poignant emotions before he loses the body that he is becoming more known for.

I cannot blame Dingdong though, or Richard Gutierrez for this matter. These two are popular stars of these days that lack the ability to convince people about what real emotions are all about. They are not still being given the right roles to hone their craft. They are continuously pampered with the kind of roles that their network thinks they can handle. Richard's non-acting prowess isn't that much obvious with fantaseryes or action fantasy series. Dingdong can just flaunt his hot bod and no one would mind if he is carrying out a sloppy performance.

GMA still has a lot to learn from ABS CBN in handling talents (but do not follow their lead in freezing their careers), especially those who are on the rise. John Lloyd wouldn't be where he is now had ABS CBN did not plan his career right. This also goes for Lloydie's team-up with Bea.

Unlike the Marian and Dingdong love team, John Lloyd and Bea took calculated steps in order to become successful multimedia artists. ABS planned what roles they must play, when they would be allowed to kiss on TV, then on films, when they would be given more matured roles, etc. This way, the two are becoming prepared and honed for the next roles that come their way.

With the Marimar duo, people have already seen them do everything on TV. They kissed, made love, kissed, shown off some skin, kissed and well, this is where they are good at, kissing.

What more can people expect from their film that they still haven't seen them do on TV? The only thing that is left for them to do is frontal nudity that I don't think they would be willing to do just yet. And knowing GMA Films' track record when it comes to love stories, the soon-to-be-released Marian-Dingdong film will be a familiar one and something that will not prompt the non-fans to pay at the cinemas just so to catch the film.

The non-fans are the people behind the success of films like "A Very Special Love." These are the people who are only waiting for good movies and do not really care about the stars. Yeah, Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz already have a following of their own. But the non-fans helped the movie hit its blockbuster status.

And how is GMA going to promote the film of Marian and Dingdong – Kakaiba? Maraming halikan? May bed scene? GMA may appear to be the number one network in Mega Manila. But Mega Manila is not the whole Philippines. And the sources of ratings are only composed of few households. Are these people who brought the pair to stardom on the little screen will be willing to pay their hard-earned money to see the team-up on the big screen?

I doubt it. But I am very much open to be proven wrong.

Jennifer Hudson – In Times of Grief

2008-10-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Hudson's world started crumbling down Friday after the murder of her mother and brother. But the singer/actress and an American Idol alumna fought back to bring justice and at the same time, kept her hopes up in finding her missing 7-year-old nephew who was with the slain victims at the time of the crime.

To make matters worse, the boy was found, Monday, at the backseat of a 1994 Chevy Suburban that was abandoned at Chicago's West Side, dead and was shot multiple times.

As of today, police say that this crime is domestic related. The Chicago police have taken William Balfour into custody. He is the estranged husband of the mother of the slain child, Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia, although he is not the father of Jennifer's nephew.

Balfour spent almost 7 years in prison and was out on parole. He was convicted before for attempted murder, hijacking and possession of stolen vehicle. He is now being held for parole violations which were not related to the Hudson investigation. Balfour's mother denied her son's involvement with the killings.

Jennifer's colleagues in the industry and the American Idol judges expressed their support for the actress/singer. This may be a tough time for Jen. She had a lot going on for her. Her star is on the rise and she has also gotten engaged this year.

For Jen and her family, may you find peace, justice and the courage to be able to stand tall and strong and fill the holes that the tragedy has created after all these hurdles.

Still Crying Over Grave of the Fireflies

2008-10-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

I was expecting to cry. But I did not expect that I will not easily get over the depression that it brought.

Life is a hopeless venture. This was what I deemed as the theme of Isao Takahata’s powerful animated film, Grave of the Fireflies.

I have heard so much about it and I’ve been wanting to see the film. I finally got a DVD copy. On a Sunday, I sat with my 3-year-old niece and we watched it together. I was telling to her the story all along.

We instantly got hooked. I, as an adult and the child beside me can easily relate with the protagonists love for their mother and their love for one another. The movie was set at the latter part of the World War II in Japan when times were tough and people were all hard up as to how they will get their food and how they will go on with their lives.

The focus of the film was with the journey of Seito, the big brother in his teens and Setsuko, the adorable child, who is maybe the same age as my niece and even looks slightly similar.

Every emotion was poignant. Every hurdle that the siblings face that leads to other obstacles was well-planted.

I kept on telling my niece what was happening in the film until I could no longer bear the tears. My niece asked me why was the movie so sad. I told her that because it was the kind of life that people experienced during the time of war. Towards the end of the film, I was telling my niece why Setsuko died. It was shown that the child was left by Seito by herself because the brother had to look for food so that they will not starve.

Setsuko, being an innocent one, will try to entertain herself. She will play with insects. She will create anything out of nothing. This includes make believe food made out of mud that she would eat because no one was there to look out for her when she was on the age when she still has to be constantly looked after by an adult.

But the siblings had no other choice but to do what they had done. They could have made better or wiser decisions. They could have just apologized to the family who once had made them stay at their home. But what do they know? They were only children.

I don’t want to tell you the complete story. It was a marvel to watch it, but be prepared to get really depressed. Watch it with your family. This will make you treasure the littlest things that you have in life. This will make you go on even if you think that life is difficult because you will realize that it can be worse, that it can be tougher.

Cristy Fermin is Out, Who’s Next?

2008-10-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

The latest development about one of the most hated showbiz host, writer and reporter, Cristy Fermin, is welcome news to all local tsismosos and tsismosas. Ms. Fermin was suspended for two months as anchorperson of DZMM’s Showbiz Mismo and co-host of ABS CBN’s Sunday showbiz-oriented show, The Buzz.

If you have read my previous post, you will know that I am among the happy tsismosas these days because of what happened. Now I think that ABS CBN can focus its attention on giving The Buzz its needed boost by letting Kris Aquino (just a suggestion) grab the mic from the silenced Femin. It will also be of added value if someone who is funny will be included on the show. I wonder why John Lapuz was ever axed from it when he/she is more enjoyable to watch than Joebert Sucaldito. But who is deserving of the spot?

There are fans clamoring for Ogie Diaz’s TV comeback along with his Locomotion gimmick on The Buzz. Ogie has been recently axed on his morning show on ABS CBN, Umagang Kay Ganda, because he had conducted services as a member of the press which was in conflict to his role as a UKG co-host. Well I admit that Diaz is funny and the Locomotion is nakakaloka. But this guy has also gotten himself into trouble with fans because of his biased reporting about celebrities, including the Kapamilya stars. And this is how Cristy started to get herself into the mud. She is biased. She sticks to what she was paid to believe in and will even include innocent children to her expose just to make her statements sound true.

According to the official statement of ABS CBN that I read over Inquirer.net:

“It was deemed that Ms. Fermin did not conduct herself with due regard to social conventions and public morals. Her statements went beyond the bounds of decency as they involved innocent children who are not party to their personal dispute. Ms. Fermin's statements violated the highest standards of professionalism and journalistic integrity.”

This is a good move for ABS CBN to start cleaning up their acts and give people what they want and what they deserve. So who will be next to be voted out? I’d go for Willie Revillame and then Mariel Rodriguez. What a delight TV viewing will be if we will no longer see these kinds of people who fill the boob tubes despite the fact that people want them removed.

What happened to Cristy Fermin must also be an eye-opener for showbiz reporters and showbiz-oriented shows to be responsible with the power they were given as part of the media spectrum. You don’t know the gravity of the effects of the tsismis you bring out for all people to devour to the celebrities involved in those. Stars, despite the glitz and glamour, are also humans. They deserve to be respected and their private lives must stay private.

Mr. and Mrs. Brad Pitt - Too Good to be True?

2008-10-10T23:26:00.000-07:00

It seems like Hollywood is all about Brangelina. What are they doing? What are they up to? They can sell their every family picture and people are actually going to buy them. It seems weird. Sometimes I envy Angelina for having hooked up with a guy like Brad Pitt (I mean in terms of looks). He is the perfect model for every brochure printing paper and other types of media as well.

But as I go about reading the entertainment pages online and read about their every step on this planet, I stop feeling envious. From my point of view, it seems like a surreal life. Big Brother is watching them and they are selling all the rights to be followed by the cameras for a price, of course. Oh well, it has been publicized that the money that they are getting from selling the photos of the beautiful members of their family goes to charities that they support.

They are beautiful. They are happy. They help save the world. And all these seem fake, well for me as a spectator of all these at least. Is this all fake or their PR people are the best in the industry?

This week, we all have read and heard about how Angelina loves Brad. She said that he is the reason why she was convinced to get pregnant. She talks about how he helps her in raising the children, how Brad loves all their children. And she has a movie that she is promoting and people cannot think of anything to ask her but about her most photographed family.

I’m sorry. I am really not a fan no matter how I try to convince myself that these are good people, if not the perfect couple. They are so perfect that they are becoming a bore. There will come a time when people would no longer care.

At least with Suri, daughter of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, not everything is in perfect position. The child has parents who are being criticized every now and then. But despite all that, even with the issue of Scientology surrounding them, they appear more human than the family of Angelina and Brad.

In the case of Jennifer Lopez, she has finally become human in my eyes when I read the interview that she wanted to stop from getting on print. I hope that celebrities do share such facts to their fans. J-Lo revealed how she suffered from depression for a time and how she acted and resolved the problem. She shared how she was also affected of postpartum depression 10 days after she gave birth to her twins. The interview answered in a humane way why she opted to sell her babies’ pictures. Asked if she gave the $6 million that they got from it to charity, she said that they donated a little to a good cause and saved the rest for the twins.

I miss those days when Britney Spears was going all crazies and people were absorbed with all her antics. At least the news at the time was not splattered with Brangelina and all their children and how perfect they are.

It is ideal for celebrities and non-celebrities alike help out to raise awareness about good causes. But the public do not have to know every detail that goes into it. But that is just my take on this. I know that there is a clamor to see everything that is happening to this perfect family, hence the proliferation of their images may it be in print or the broadcast medium.

Jason Priestly Heads Back to His Former Home

2008-10-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

Another original 90210-er is bound to head back home. It was announced that Jason Priestly is going to be involved in the production, but this time, he will no longer be the on-cam eye candy. Instead, he will try his hands directing an episode that is set to air this spring. Read the rest of the entry here.

Okay, I admit my mistake on my previous entry about this spin-off. So there are people who are excited about the show’s revival. But after the guest appearance of old stars like Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth, people want to see more of them and more of the old casts. They are proving that they are still worth to pose for billboards or even custom size brochures.

So will the younger and new 90210 batch supersede the fame of the original casts? All I’ve been hearing about the new babes of the show is that they look so thin that people have been clamoring for them to eat. What a way to be famous, eh?

What make the old casts special are the characters that they have given life to for the 10 years that the show aired. People want to see Brandon Walsh, Brenda Walsh, Kelly Taylor, Dylan McKay, Donna Martin and so on. If not for the show and the characters, I don’t think that people would like to see much of Jason Priestly, Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, Luke Perry, Tori Spelling and the rest of the grown up casts of this 90s hit show.

So am I smelling a complete reunion soon? That will be nice and something to look forward to.

GOOD SUNDAY TV UNTIL THERE WAS CRISTY FERMIN

2008-10-07T23:07:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, there were triumphant feats on local TV. There was the successful launch of Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson starrer, My Only Hope. The show proved to be a big threat with its attractive visuals, good story and talented leads. I wonder if this is the reason why a GMA 7 starlet who used to be a Kapamilya is hinting that Gerald is courting her and fetches her every day. And the news broke out at a time when the remarkable love team is out of the country for a series of shows. This starlet had already caused a former hit Kapamilya love team to part ways. Will she be able to do it again?

I haven’t heard this starlet say anything about the issue because I don’t watch her shows because I don’t like her. But I have read some write-ups of showbiz reporters under GMA 7’s payroll about the issue. Now, now, GMA 7, if you feel so threatened with the Kimerald team-up, you might as well work your butts out to create stars instead of demolishing the hard-earned careers of good people like Kim and Gerald. Give out groceries or what have you to make sure that people tune in from Unang Hirit to Walang Tulugan. But please, stop the demolition jobs to the Kapamilya stars.

There is really a reason why Judy Ann Santos did not leave ABS CBN despite all the efforts of GMA 7 to acquire her services. But there are still no demolition jobs being set up by GMA 7 to the young superstar. Not yet. They are still courting the actress and giving her what her home studio seems to neglect. Is GMA 7 secretly hoping to get the exclusive rights of Judy Ann’s wedding to Ryan, whenever that will finally happen? I think so. But having observed Juday's, or should I say her manager's love-hate relationship with the Kapamilya network, she might surprise us all by jumping over the bakod one of these days. A piece of advice to Juday, do that only if you want to semi retire from showbiz. See what happened to Jolina Magdangal, she is visible all right, but she fails to shine.

Back to the starlet, a little bird told me that she appeared on the late night comedy show of Joey de Leon at the Kapuso network, Nuts Entertainment, and said that only one guy is courting her at the moment. And that is none other than Deither Ocampo. So it will be better if GMA 7 will watch their own shows to set their facts straight before coming up with issues.
Okay, breathe in, breathe out. Another good thing that happened over the weekend was when Philip Nolasco bagged in the title of being the first champion of the PDA Little Dreamers. Now, now, this child has a lot more potential to be a star than the winner of the PDA adult division, Laarni something who still have to make her presence felt in the industry. But Philip, you must be warned. Once you become a star, GMA 7 might pay some tabloid reporters and create issues linking you with Kapuso starlet. Haha! Spare the child, please.

In between My Only Hope and PDA Little Dreamers, there was The Buzz. So I switched channels because I didn’t want to hear whatever Cristy Fermin would say. But oh well, it has become an item and a bigger issue than the root of all this which was… just to refresh the memories of those who have become lost with all the hullaballoo, the conflict between Gabby Concepcion and his foul-mouthed manager, ex-manager. Gosh, her existence makes Lolit Solis looks like an angel.

So Cristy, in order to get people’s attention, said something that even if it’s true or not, should not be made known to the tsismis-hungered public. My God, tsismosa ako but that is already a private matter that I don’t think people would still want to know, especially from a person who have long kissed her showbiz career goodbye.

I haven’t done the part two of my "Why Do ABS-CBN’s Ratings Keep On Plunging Down." But Cristy Fermin is definitely a big part of that. Why this liar still has a show on a good timeslot, I cannot understand. Does ABS CBN fear Ms. Fermin? That is the only conclusion that I can arrive at. Well, give her a Walang Tulugan rip off. People are talking. People are clamoring for her to be removed from The Buzz. Don’t you read her Pilipino Star Ngayon column? I don’t. But I read the comments’ section. And nobody seems to like her anymore. She has no credibility. And keeping her on the show that caused Ms. Kris Aquino to drop it off is a big mystery, since nobody likes her.

My Only Hope is for Kris to go back on The Buzz and remove Cristy on the face of local TV. And may Philip be given more projects that will make his star shine the brightest.

Borat Strikes Again!

2008-09-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

I never was able to watch Borat, but it is something that never leaves my soon-to-watch list. But even before I can get myself a copy of that film, I have read about another antic that Borat, er, Sacha Baron Cohen, has done one more time.

What did Borat do? Well, first things first, call him Bruno, another of Sacha’s alter-ego that will soon be bound to fame. He crashed at the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada’s show on Friday held in Milan. He strutted out of nowhere on the catwalk wearing an oversized black cape with too many out of place accessories. The organizers were surprised by the appearance. The designer was upset. The show was halted for a bit until Bruno left the venue.

Such antics were intended for Sacha’s new mockumentary entitled Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Male. Kewlness! =) I can already imagine the hilarious outcome of the movie posters printing that will be done for its promotions.

One thing that I realized out of all such fuss, oh well, Borat ain’t bad looking, eh? I was looking at the pictures of the said event and I was wondering all along, where the hell is Borat? I got stuck with this image of him on my mind.

That when I was browsing for the Bruno mess-up with the fashion event, I really thought that he was the man at the right side who was wearing brown.

Now, now this newest flick from Sacha Baron Cohen will definitely be on my must-watch films. I only hope that he gets to finish the film without getting into any real legal trouble.

Awww! The Coming Out of Clay Aiken

2008-09-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

The headlines are saying it all. Now this news story is worth more than the technology of digital image printing. It feels good when you confirm what you’ve always believed is true. And here are the headlines that will definitely fill the gossip-landia for quite a time. Read the comments as well. They offer much insight and more gossips than the real news.

Finally!!!!!

Clay Aiken Coming Out

Clay Aiken: 'Yes, I'm Gay'

Clay Aiken to reveal he is gay

New dad Clay Aiken comes out of closet

Do I need say more? The title of this blog was influenced by the magazine picture. Isn’t that cute? I mean the baby, Parker Foster Aiken ?

And well, for Clay, bravo. It takes courage to do what you’ve done, especially because he isn’t doing this for himself alone. To quote him:

"I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things."

And cheers to that!

My Only Hope - Soon on ABS-CBN

2008-09-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

Now, now, this seems to be exciting. I am already looking forward to this new Kim Chiu-Gerald Anderson starrer. What makes this exciting is the fact that this has an original story. This is not a 'nakakasawa' tele-fantasy like Diosa. This is not another remake of a canned show from other countries like Betty la Fea. And this is not a rehash of old Phillipine soap operas like Iisa Pa Lamang. I am reserving any comments for Kahit Isang Saglit because I still haven't caught a glimpse of it.

My Girl was good. In fact, the directors and writers made the show fit into each cast member. But it also alienated many of the Kimerald fans, my 3-year-old niece included. First, the show had too many kissing scenes. I guess that ABS-CBN really wants their young stars to grow up fast. This was okay for matured fans like me. But the Kimerald has a following of people ranging from newborns and up. And second, the network decided to place it on a very late timeslot. This could have been a better hit if it was given the former timeslot of Sana Maulit Muli.

Why not place My Only Hope on Primetime and re-run My Girl on Sundays after ASAP? That would be ideal. But that will remain a suggestion because My Only Hope will start on October 5, Sunday, after ASAP.

Here's the trailer of My Only Hope. Credits to jamatias18 on YouTube.

Pinoy Dream Academy Hailed Its Champ, the Network's Soon to Be Frozen Delight!

2008-09-16T07:09:00.001-07:00

...Forgive me for the title. I just don't really like the winner.

Last Saturday, we were treated to the grand performance of the top six scholars of the Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2. The other ousted scholars also joined in the fun by having a production number.

This was how I felt that night. For the unlucky ones who weren't able to join the top 6, Chivas stood out. He could have been the one if he didn't get sick that caused him to voluntarily exit. Yeng Constantino, being the champ of the previous season, will be hard to replace. But this guy could have easily done that. Like Yeng, Chivas is cool but when he sings, he rocks. And besides, he seems to be a sweet partner to Bunny and a good father to their son. He can be packaged as the dad that rocks, hehe! But with the limited exposure he had on the show, I don't think that it is possible to achieve now.

For the top 6, this is how I felt about them and about how they performed. Chris is pretty and has improved a lot, but she doesn't have the x-factor to make it big in the industry. Van is cute but he really looked gay with his makeup, especially in the eye area. I don't know, I just feel that he'll easily be forgotten as well. Miguel is boring, period. Bugoy sounds good, but it will be hard to sell someone like him. Or maybe I am not just used to the idea. I don't like Laarni from the start, so I switched channels when she sang. Liezel was always amazing and she stood out that night. She sang like she was telling us that "I deserve the title and I am bound to be a star."

So you can just imagine how I felt come Sunday night when Liezel was announced as top 4. And what's worse? Laarni was announced as the winner. She couldn't believe it. And so do I! I don't know where her votes came from. I even jested my sister that maybe, GMA 7 has something to do with this. They voted for Laarni to make sure that the PDA champ is not going to be popular, just like the winner of Philippine Idol, whom until now, I don't have any idea what he/she looks and sounds like.

My hunch is that Laarni is going to be the next frozen delight of ABS-CBN. At least, she has the million and the house and the car and the business. She doesn't need the fame, especially if somebody else deserves that more than she does.

WHY DO ABS-CBN'S RATINGS KEEP ON PLUNGING DOWN?

2008-09-11T08:14:00.002-07:00

I've long wanted to do this. I even wanted to e-mail this to ABS-CBN's bigwigs. Kapal no? =) But the fact is, I am a customer and I want to get what I want. And ABS-CBN is not giving it to me. But do not get me wrong, I happened to switch channels last Sunday because ABS was showing a boxing match of I-don't-really-care who. And God, SOP sucks! They've got no stars. And even the established singers like Ogie and Janno cannot get their notes right. I promise never to watch SOP ever again! And as much as I love to hate ABS-CBN, I cannot transform as a Kapuso either. They are lucky to have good show formats, except for SOP! But star-wise and quality-wise, they still cannot compete with ABS-CBN.

So without further ado, allow me to rant and rant and rant...

Kapamilya ako, but I'm no longer watching most of their shows. I don't know what's gotten on their bigwigs' heads but they are no longer fighting to win. Why do its ratings keep on plunging down when they literally have all the big stars? Here are my thoughts about it.

1. They keep on acquiring 'unwanted' stars. Not because Angel Locsin became the queen of GMA soaps means that the Kapamilya viewers will accept her with open arms. I'd rather see Roxanne Guinoo or Kristine Hermosa on Lobo than the ex-Kapuso star. And the same sentiment also goes to 'kairita' Valerie Concepcion and Cristine Reyes.

Valerie should have been loyal to GMA. The network didn't let her down when she became an unwed teenage mom. As for Cristine, she doesn't have the charisma to be a big star. If ABS wants a sexy star, pick someone from your frozen delight beauties and I'm sure that they'll perform even better than this one.

And oh, is Ara Mina still on ABS? She was on her way down. Gravity seems to keep on pulling her down because of her not-so-nice-to-look-at extremely big boobies. She should have stick with GMA. At least there, they provide work for those who are loyal to them, even though they no longer have the spotlight on them. Just look at the old That's Entertainment stars resurfacing on GMA shows. And other stars like Antonio Aquitania and Wendell Ramos are still active despite the fact that they are maturing and are not as hot as before.

I pity the child star, I think her name used to be Charming when she was on GMA. She was already getting enough exposure. If her manager really cares for her, she should have let the child stay with GMA. She's barely visible now at ABS.

Other stars who should repent and seek GMA's mercy are Long Mejia and Dennis Padilla. They had everything going well for them until they were tempted to jump fences and forgot about gratitude. They were funny. But ABS doesn't have shows to accommodate their talents. I didn't include Dagul here because he still has Going Bulilit. But he could have more had he opted to stay a Kapuso. And Brod Pete could thrive wherever he chooses to. He will shine as a comedian or as a writer whether he's with GMA, ABS, even TV5 or RPN 9 or NBN 4, simply because he is genuinely funny.

And I will not forget to mention Jake Cuenca. This 'yabang' looking guy even became 'Palos' when the then frozen star Jericho Rosales could have done better justice to the role.

The only welcome addition to this roster is Billy Crawford. He shined better when he transferred to ABS. He needed the exposure because he needs to be seen as much as possible by the viewers abroad. And this guy is indeed talented, makes me want to open the TV again whenever he's on.

2. Speaking of freezer, ABS does not care about their talents. If they are no longer bringing in the cash as they used to, the network will freeze their careers until the damage becomes irreparable. And what does this say about them? It is fair enough that they are not the one using the Kapuso tagline because they've got no heart. They don't deserve being called Kapamilya either. What suits them best is Kanegosyo. I pity the stars who have dreamt of becoming big only to be stuck on the rut.

Other worthwhile stars opted to find other gigs at other networks. Kapamilya should have given Charlene Gonzales a better show. People love her. ABS is nuts to let her go so easy.

Sandara Park was brought to stardom by ABS. But the network also brought her to star-doom. This girl was unique in many ways that she could have been given roles where she would excel. But nope, they let her star lose its glow until she decided to go back to her home country. Hopefully, she will become big there that ABS will realize what a gem they had easily let go. Just look at how they are trying to rush deals for the soon to be Hollywood-bound Charice? She was being groomed then by ABS to be frozen. But thanks to YouTube, this young girl's life was changed forever.

Where is Geoff Eigenman? This actor has a lot of potential other than hosting ASAP segments. He is not just given the right roles. No thanks to the surge of the ex-PBB hunky English-speaking stars. They are getting all the attention. John Avila became the dubbed Kapitan Boom. I wonder how they will remedy Will Devaugn's twisted tongue on the next Judy Ann soap. You already have Sam Milby. This guy is really talented so I have no objections with the attention that he is being given. But enough of his likes already. Masakit sa tenga. Sam just became an exception because he sings really well. And who will ever forget the lines, "I never… said… that I-lahv-you."

3. The horrors of Wowowee. This show should have been suspended from the time it caused a lot of deaths. Willie should have been made liable for all those lives. Whatever they say, it is a fact that the pre-taped shows of Wowowee before the incident happened showed Willie encouraging people to keep on coming to the venue. No one even cared to flash updates or caution that it will be safer for other people to stay at home because of the crowd buildup. ABS wanted good TV. And the hoards of people who flocked the venue may be it. They were not prepared that they would become the news itself. And as a sign of respect to all the deaths that was caused by the network's inefficiency, Wowowee should have been cancelled.

4. The horrors of Mariel Rodriguez. She exposed her real self on her PBB stint. She was far too different from what she's projecting on TV. She thinks that the masa and she referred to the Wowowee crowd as mabaho. She thinks that showbiz is baduy. And she curses so much, I don't think she's suitable to be watched by children. But she's still not being dumped by the network on the freezer. If only this is the 'Apprentice,' I'd tell Mariel, 'You're fired.' She will never recover from her blunders. No one will ever forget her real self. And as part of the masa crowd, if she doesn't like us, we don't like her either.

5. The news and current affairs. How do you expect us to keep up with the ever changing hosts and formats of the shows on this department? You started the early morning news/talk show format on Philippine TV. But you don't show any mercy for the likes of Tin-Tin Bersola among so many others being axed on the show without any replacement for the lost job. With these kinds of shows on TV, I think that viewers have to develop certain level of leaning and association with the programs that they choose to watch. It is better to trust old friends in this regard. You'll have better confidence in learning from the shows that have been around for a long time.

And this is what GMA is good at. They don't just cancel a show in this department just because it didn't get the desired rating for a month or so. Look at where "Imbestigador," "I-Witness," "Wish Ko Lang," just to name a few, are now. These shows are still being watched because like the real sense of "Kapamilya," hindi tayo basta iniwan na lang ng mga shows na to. I cannot cite same samples for ABS-CBN. Yeah, TV Patrol has been around for the longest time. But they were not sensitive to its original hosts. The show was transferred to Korina Sanchez, right? Then it was given to the then new-transferee from the other network. I cannot really understand if ABS even knows the meaning of compassion.

The same feeling goes for Magandang Gabi Bayan. It was a good show. It was better than the one with Kuya Kim now where he's really trying hard to be Steve Irwin. Had MGB been retained, it will still dominate the 6PM Saturday timeslot. Yeah, its ratings may fluctuate from time to time. Pero babalik-balikan pa rin yun ng mga tunay na kapamilya. But the damage has been done and it's getting too hard to repair.

(I'll have a part two on this. I still have much more to rant about. And the second part will focus on the drama block.)

to be continued...

One Big Group Hug for the Fab Four!

2008-09-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

I know, I haven't been updating this, especially after all the drama that transpired on the much awaited Eraserheads' Reunion Concert. For now, I'm sure you already know how Ely had to rushed to the hospital during the band's 20 minute break because of chest pains. Then he had to go an angioplasty procedure. But he is okay now and latest reports say that he's resting at home (maybe gathering his strength for the second part of the reunion?) Ooh, what would it be named if that will push through? "The Continuation"? "Second Set"? Or the now infamous "Group Hug"?

It was touching to hear that after every song the band played that night, the crowd will chant "Group Hug." It was an evidence that people went there not merely to see them perform, they want to see them patch things up. But I guess that things are on clearer perspective now.

Many shows have aired different versions of what happened after that fateful concert. But here are the links to the most detailed interviews with the guys, except for Ely, after the event.

THE DRUMMER WILL DRUM: Raymund Marasigan

THE BASS MAN HOLDS THE LINE: Buddy Zabala

THE GUITARIST HANGS LOOSE: Marcus Adoro

THE SESSIONIST: The fifth e-head

Eraserheads Reunion Concert - The Drama Continues

2008-08-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

This is the latest update on the reunion concert of the Eraserheads.

"What: Eraserheads Reunion Concert
When: August 30, 2008 (Saturday)
Tickets are available at Ticketworld (891-9999) starting August 28, 2008 (Thursday)
Patron: Php 1, 300++.00
General Admission: Php 800++.00
Brought to you by Radiohead Media Inc. in cooperation with Sony BMG Music Entertainment Phil. Inc."

But the drama of this very controversial gathering of the Fab4 continues. People are still speculating if this will indeed push through with Ely Buendia's mother passing away just this morning. Local reports say that the show will go on.

This will be such a memorable day for the clammoring fans, for the equally talented members of the band and most especially, for the grieving son. It is always sad to write about deaths, especially when I have also gone through a personal ordeal in this regard just last month. But to Ely, my condolences to you and your loved ones. Life may be tough but be strong and put on a good show.

Zorayda Sanchez Passes Away

2008-08-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

Her claim to fame was her ugliness, thanks to the Andrew E. '90s hit song, Humanap ka ng Panget. Zorayda Sanchez became a household name for her own brand of comedy. She used her distinct features to earn from the cruel world of showbizness. She was always the subject of slapstick brand of jokes by her fellow actors. And she did not complain. But when she had enough, she silently exited the limelight to use her brains as a writer, university professor and a stage actress.

We seldom see her on showbiz gatherings the past years. This is why I was so stunned upon hearing about her death August 27 due to breast cancer. She was 57.

To the one person who opened the doors of local showbizness to people without the perfect face and body to match that, may you rest in peace. And condolences to the family.

The Latest Pieces about the Whole Puzzle of the Eraserheads' Reunion Concert

2008-08-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

All ye Eraserheads fans out there, good news and bad news. Well, the good news is that their very controversial reunion concert will push through. It is going to happen on Aug. 30 at the Fort Bonifacio open field, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. It will no longer be sponsored by Marlboro. So to those like me, non-smokers, who were forced to choose what brand of cigarette we smoke, just so we could register to the very mysterious event, we just have to settle for the bad news.

The concert is no longer free. Further details as to how you will be able to avail tickets is going to be announced in the coming days. For the blow-by-blow account as to what lead to what, where and when, check out this site.

And this is the e-mail that Raimund Marasigan sent to the Sandwich's yahoogroup mailing list about this whole brouhaha:

------

From: raymund marasigan
date: Sun, Aug 24, 2008 at 8:37 PM
subject: [subsandwich] eraserheads aug 30 08 confirmed

dear everybodyafter much ado. the eraserheads concert is most definitely pushing through.philip morris and its brands have pulled out from the concert. but another company is taking over the production.

the turn over startedyesterday and they have already started work on the site in the fort. so you can check.there are good news and bad news.unfortunately it's no longer free. all the long winded registration procedures in the red nation site is now void.the good news is that the age limit is now 12 years old (for safety reasons) and tickets will be sold so you don't have to wait for confirmation and what not.

the official announcement and ticketing details will come out in major newspapers and on the radio on tuesday.these are the only details i know for now so no need to email me. i'm just the drummer.btw. i just got home from the last rehearsal. the band is cooking. we will see you all on the 30th.

raym

-----

So to the real E'heads fans who have been waiting for this to happen, don't miss out this chance.

The New and Upcoming Hollywood Babies

2008-08-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

Digital printing must be so in demand in Hollywood these days because of the fact that everybody seems to be having a baby! Wee! What is with the season that people seems to be inspired in creating their masterpieces as well as letting them out?

Who are these new and soon to be famous moms and dads? For sure, the paparazzi are all gearing up to get the first shots of the equally famous tots.

Baby Number 1: Parker Foster Aiken was born August 8. This baby boy resulted from the process of an artificial insemination. The dad, of course, is former “American Idol” runner-up, Clay Aiken. The mom is Jaymes Foster, Clay’s friend, record producer and now his baby producer as well.

Baby Number 2: Another product of science, twin boys of Ricky Martin. The man, of course, is known for his butt, er, his hits like “Livin’ la Vida Loca” and “She Bangs” (well, until William Hung stole the scene). It was said that the twins were delivered through gestational surrogacy this August. No further announcements have been made. So the gossip-landia still isn’t satisfied until it finds out who the surrogate mother is. Now that Ricky is a real papa, he plans to take his career aside for the moment and focus on raising his twins. Aww!

Baby Number 3: Gia Zavala Damon was born August 21. Her proud parents are “Good Will Hunting” lead, Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana. This is their second child. The eldest, Isabella, is now two. And they are also raising Luciana’s daughter from a previous marriage.

Baby Number 4: Zuma Nesta Rock was born afternoon of Aug 22. His famous parents are Gwen Steffani and Gavin Rossdale. This is their second baby together, the eldest being another son, Kingston. And Rossdale has a daughter who is already a teenager with Pearl Love, a fashion designer.

Baby Number 5: Another twins in the making. “Ugly Betty” star, Rebecca Romjin is five months pregnant with twins. The soon to be famous dad is Jerry O’Connell. The twins are yet unnamed but the couple are in deep thoughts as to what they will name them. The choices include Mary-Kate and Ashley and whatever as long as the monikers will be rhyming.

Baby Number 6: She has announced it, but Jennifer Garner remains mum about when will be the due date for baby number two. Jen and Ben Affleck’s first child, Violet, is among the most photographed children in Hollywood these days. For sure, this tot will gain more media frenzy.

Baby Number 7: Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have already tied the knot. Now they are thinking about their future but well, still undecided whether to have babies sooner or later. The fact is that the couple is constantly talking about it. As to how they will do it, let us give them the free will to decide on their own.

The entertainment scene looks much better with news like these, eh? There were phases in the showbiz world when all you can read about are deaths, accidents and well, Britney Spears.

How Far China is Willing to Go to Achieve Perfection?

2008-08-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Now it is proven that China will do anything for people to deem the country as perfect. But this image really gives me creeps, especially whenever I hear about what will it do just to prove the point or create that image. This all seems like coming from the scenes of a sci-fi movie.

Forget about canvas prints as the real show is unfolding every day. This Olympics at Beijing, China has too many dramas, I can only imagine what will happen next. It all started with the fireworks. It was magnificent. It was dramatic to watch. It was perfect. But not everything you see was real. Instructions were given to broadcast mediums that were going to telecast the event as to the special effect that should be incorporated while the real event was happening. So what we saw was actually just an illusion that China wanted us to view so that we will praise the country and drool over the kind of perfection that they can do.

I've read over another blogsite about Yao Ming's dilemma. If you will look at him play, limping and looking as if he is always in pain, you will wonder how come he is still playing when he could be better off in a hospital ward. That is because Ming owes China a lot. The country made him what he is now. And this is the price that he has to pay for such situation.

And then there are the gymnasts. After winning the Gold in the event, people started to wonder if Chinese girls are really blessed to look so very young than what their real age are or if these girls are really younger than what they were supposed to be? Is this part of the perfect image that China is trying to achieve? But what will happen if the investigations go deep and these girls were found to be fraud? Whose future are they putting on great shambles?

What captures the heart of people all over the globe is the situation of the real singer and the one who was made to lip synch the part. An official judged that the real voice who sang "Ode to Motherland" was not cute enough, or did not fit to the image of perfection that the country is trying to convey. So Yang Peiyi remained to be hidden behind the perfection of Lin Miaoke's cuteness. The idea here was to combine the perfect voice and the perfect face. But these are only children who have a lot ahead of them. And with the situation they were put into, both girls won't easily escape the wrath of the idea in years to come.

Nobody's perfect. The way China is handling the Olympics, the behind the scenes are upstaging the sporting events. How many medals do Michael Phelps has now? I don't know. But as the drama continues and unfolds before us, the Olympics might end with our views of China being completely the opposite of perfect.

Leave Jennifer Alone!

2008-08-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Aniston’s love life is as sticky as an adhesive vinyl, eh? I mean this Friends’ star remains to be in the hot public eye long after the phenomenal sitcom stopped airing. Cameras were there to capture her bonding moments with Courtney Cox Arquette’s family. More cameras appeared when she was making sweet music together with John Meyer. And now many people are speculating about her romantic involvement with model Matt Felker.

As the famous blogger turned TV personality and a Britney advocate, Chris Crocker, said, “Leave Britney alone.” Of course, in this case it would be more apt to say, “Leave Jennifer alone.” But these two have something in common. People can’t seem to get enough of the latest happening about them.

For Jennifer, this all started since she got entangled then disentangled with Brad Pitt. As people remain to be curious about how Brad and Angelina are doing, they want to hear something juicy about Jen as well so that they can start comparing her to the female half of the Brangelina tandem. But they are worlds apart. Angelina knows how to play her cards right in her career as well as in her personal life.

As for Jennifer, she always seems to be testing the water. People are speculating that this happened only after Brad Pitt. She married him, for one. But if the rumors are true, Jen wasn’t ready yet to become a mom whether to her own or to adopted kids, much more so those that come from different nations.

But whatever Jen chooses to do or chooses not to, she’s lucky because she’s cute. What a statement. But it’s true. People will still be curious about her even if she prefers to remain single or hook up with someone who looks so far from Brad. The important thing is that she’s still a star. She’s making movies and TV appearances and people are still interested about her.

And to segue to Chris Crocker fave celeb, Britney has the same fate. No matter what she did, people will forgive her because she is still a star. But people will not always be so forgiving. So she should straighten up before it is already too late. She must get back to shape and get back to what she is known for, singing and producing hits.

I no longer care about Britney’s love life. Actually, for me, she shouldn’t have one for as long as she still hasn’t settled her sons’ future. She must work hard for their sake. And she must make sure that the money from her hard work will go to her son and not to Kevin Federline.

Okay, this blog was supposed to be about Jennifer. As of this writing, Felker’s publicist denied that the two are dating. But whatever will make Jen, happy, she must do it. She deserves to be happy, just like Angelina and oh well, to end this piece, just like Britney as well.

Studies about Red Bull Showed Worrying Results

2008-08-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

As I go over the Internet today, I was shocked to read about Red Bull. The fact is that when I used to have my shift at work on a graveyard for almost two years, I depended on this energy drink to stay awake. I actually had so many rituals at the time. I used Red Bull like my vitamins. During breaks, I’d still drink coffee or soda. I just wanted to stay awake. But now that I am going over this, I am thinking like, was I trying to kill myself back then?

Oh no, really now, I was just really trying to stay awake. Now this controversy about Red Bull will worry people just like me. And what this is all about? Red Bull, created by Dietrich Mateschitz, an entrepreneur in Austria in 1980, based on a Thai energy drink.

The study was conducted by Scott Willoughby. He is the lead researcher at the Cardiovascular Centre, Royal Adelaide Hospital. He told an Australian newspaper about the conclusion. Willoughby’s team had 30 young adults whom they tested the cardiovascular systems one hour before and then one hour after drinking a 250 ml can of Red Bull that is sugar-free.

The results showed that after taking in the drink, normal people actually develop warning signs that can be linked to cardiovascular disease. Actually, this energy drink is already banned in different countries such as in Norway, Denmark and Uruguay. The reason for this ban was the ingredients that are listed on the cans of Red Bull.

To the company’s defense, Linda Rychter, its spokeswoman in Australia said that the report that came out will be looked into and assessed by their head office in Austria. One can of Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine. For such fact, Rychter said that the effects that were found are similar to the effects of drinking one cup of coffee. So that would still be considered as part of the physiological range that is normal.

This study is worth the budget that one could allocate to commercial printing and other types of ad mediums. This is due to the fact that the product is being sold in so many parts of the world. And many people will be affected by such news.

Come on guys, my heart is palpitating right now. But this doesn’t have anything to do with my previous Red Bull addiction. I just really want to know what is the real score behind this all. Should this product be banned or is it still safe to drink this after all?

BRANGELINA TWINS’ FIRST PHOTOS SOLD AT $14 MILLION

2008-08-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

Whew! I still couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this morning that the Jolie-Pitt infamous twins’ first pictures were settled to be sold for $14 million. Of course, of course, proceeds will go to charity, whatever. I mean, when Brad left Jen for Jolie, was he even aware that he could turn the relationship into a money-making scheme simply by making as well as adopting kids.

Sorry, couldn’t help the cynicism. I know some of people would feel for the couple, like they are rich and famous. They may be selling their kids’ photos and handling the negotiations very well. But they are doing this for good reasons, you know, for charity. I actually like these two for their involvement for different humanitarian activities. They are not your ordinary beautiful people who would be seen in obscene places, partying hard or caught in a middle of something unacceptable to the eyes of the public.

But for me, there are other ways to earn funds to be given to charities aside from selling your kids’ photos. I so admire Tiger Woods for his thoughts about the matter. Remember when he had his child? Of course, he had so many offers for the first pictures of his child from magazines, TV spots, maybe even postcards and pocket folders printing. After all, he is a celebrity in his own way. But he didn’t think about the dollar sign. He celebrated the birth of his child with all the people who were there for him through all his triumphs, his fans. He posted the pictures for everyone to see for free.

Actually, the news was just leaked to the Associated Press by a person who doesn’t want to be named. But the latter said that the amount will be paid by People Magazine and a British tabloid, Hello! magazine. When this happened, Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon, the twins, will carry out the title of being the most costly celebrity baby pictures ever sold. They have knocked off J-Lo and Marc Anthony’s twins on the top spot that was worth $6 million.

Pitt and Jolie seem to be taking this whole photo thing professionally. They were able to seal a reported sum of $4 for Shilo’s first photos. They sold candid shots of adopted son, Pax, who was then 3 years old to Hello! and People. And now this deal with the twins. But yeah, let us not forget that proceeds will go entirely to charity.

For now, we’re in awe to see such cute pictures of these famous people’s babies. But when they grow up, would they be happy to know that their mere pictures when they were babies worth a lot? How are they going to live with that truth? Are they gonna be proud? It will depend on the life they would be leading when the time comes. But in the meantime, go buy the magazines in order to help charity in your own way or just go help out even without buying the ‘zines. It’s all up to you.

Remembering the Last Lecture of Randy Pausch

2008-07-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

Death is something that everybody cannot really be prepared for even if you are as wise and as brilliant as Randy Pausch. The first time that I was introduced to his lecture was when “Good Morning America” featured him and made available on ABC’s site Dr. Pausch’s “Last Lecture.”

It was a life changing lecture. I enjoyed his every word, his every brilliance. It made me think of my own dreams and how I’ve already forgotten some of them. He made me unbury those dreams and realize them even in my own little way. As he had said, “The brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.” It was a strong push for many of us who easily gives up when the going gets tough.

Life is too short. But Dr. Pausch’s short life was lived to the fullest. It made me think like where I was and what was I doing while this dying man was accomplishing all his dreams. In front of the television maybe, catching up on the episodes of Friends and Sex and the City or wondering if I’ll accept the new promo I’ve read on some postcard mailing marketing campaign.

In times when nothing seems to be going right for me, I remember his words, “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.” This inspiration actually made me experience my journey through life. I look ahead to where I am going to, but I am in no hurry. Sometimes, a new route will present itself or some hurdles will come up. I live it up so that when I reach my destination, I’ll have so many things to say to the people waiting for me on the other end aside from complaints.

For those of you who are still naïve about his genius, Randy Pausch was an alumnus and a popular professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon. The famous “Last Lecture” was delivered on September 18, 2007. It was a tradition for popular professors at this university to give out lectures about their final message like that would be their last chance to give it.

Dr. Pausch was diagnosed with cancer in August 2006 and was told by his doctors that he only had few months to live. He had undergone every advanced medical procedure but after a year, his cancer became terminal. He was at that state when he gave that lecture. It was well accepted. He shared an excerpt when he was invited at the Oprah show. And his video became a hit at YouTube. Here is where you can watch it - Randy Pausch's Last Lecture.

He has succumbed to his final rest on July 25. He was 47. In the lecture, he said that those words were for his kids to watch and listen to when he is gone. But now that he is really gone, many kids and adults alike will learn a lot about the life he has lead and the legacy that he was able to leave behind.

IS THERE ANYONE EXCITED WITH THE REVIVAL OF "90210"?

2008-05-13T23:01:00.000-07:00

Were you a fan of the hit ‘90s series, “Beverly Hills 90210”? I was actually. It was during the time when my hormones were all raging for Jason Priestly and oh-so-good looking eyes. They could almost drown you.

But today, those yes are already surrounded by wrinkles. Those wrinkles that made him look cute before when he smiles are now being seen as sign of old age. Oh well, the guy is not that old and he still looks good. But where is he now anyway?

Jason is not among the announced cast of the show’s revival, neither the actress that played his twin sister in the series, Shannon Doherty. This gal had it all going for her. She could have made it big had she not turned to men and drugs.

I watched Luke Perry’s film that I could no longer remember the title. But I can definitely remember the lyrics of its theme song. It goes like “I used to have a wish, one day I’d be like this. Now I know love exist ‘cause it’s standing right next to me.”

I did not hear any scandalous act that Luke ever gets into. But maybe that also became his pitfall because after 90210, the name began to drift away from the fans’ scene. He is not a Britney Spears. But he really shouldn’t aspire to be, being in the limelight for all the wrong reasons.

Jenny Garth was announced to be returning on the revival of the show. She is going to reprise her role. But this time, she’s gonna be playing a guidance counselor. I wonder how boring this series would be. I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. Of all the characters to be played, huh. She could have been the mother of one of the youngest characters.

I don’t know. If the producers want something to offer the raging hormones generation, they could have opted to do a wholly new series. The 90210 will not be a hit without all the original casts in it. It will not click if they will create a different story. It might if they would get all the original casts and tell a story of what happened to them.

This is like no one will watch the hit comedy series “Friends” if they will replace the casts and come up with different stories. It won’t click either if only one “Friend” will be seen. Look at what happened to “Joey’s.”

I am really not excited about this idea. But don’t trust me, really. I wasn’t excited either at the thought of Robert Downey, Jr. playing the lead in “Iron Man.” And look where it is now. I just hope that they finish all the sequels while Mr. Downey can still do the stunts.

THE BAD GIRLS OF HOLLYWOOD - ON THEIR WAY TO HAPPY EVER AFTER, EXCEPT FOR BRITNEY

2008-04-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

So the mean girls of Hollywood are finally getting the pieces together. Or are they? Paris Hilton is proclaiming her love for the brother of her former bestfriend's beau? Were you able to follow suit?

Nicole Richie, the adopted daughter of Lionel Richie (I am making all these complicated), was Paris' former bestfriend. They broke that tie when, according to some gossip mongers, Nicole spread Paris' sex video at a party. But after the announcement that they were no longer bestfriends, they have kissed and made up so many times years later.

While everything seems to be going bad for Nicole, she was even suspected of suffering from anorexia, Joel Madden of "Good Charlotte" band impregnated her and brought her fats back. I mean he brought her life back. She has given birth to a baby girl in January.

And Paris, on the other hand, hooked up with the other Madden brother, Joel's ideantical twin, Benji. And the girl is now proclaiming her L-O-V-E for him all over the cyberspace. But she has not taken the drastic step yet of getting pregnant.

The Simpsons
Ashlee Simpson seems to be singing a happier note than her big sis, Jessica. Ashlee has gotten engaged to Pete Wentz, her rocker boyfriend who wears mascara.

While Yoko Romo, errr, Jessica, is helping boyfriend Tony Romo of Dallas Cowboys lose his career. The fans has given her the nickname Yoko Romo, comparing her to Yoko Ono, John Lennon's wife who conthe fans were blaming for Lennon's career fall.

The Spears
Jamie Lyn is preggy and her boyfriend is ready to marry her. Soon enough, we'll be facing another Spears of the world.

Britney, well, she's still liking the idea that people are interested in what she's doing. She still likes it that the paparazzi are following her every move. So, yeah, nothing much has changed. Britney is still running around, belly and all, in skimpy outfits.

All of us should learn a little something from all these. Not because you've given birth to two sons means that you're going to lead the happy ever after route. This is especially true if you have married the palace's guard rather than its prince.

GMA 7 AND ABS CBN, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

2008-01-09T12:55:00.000-08:00

As time goes by, free TV in the Philippines has gone more toward giving the audience quality programming. But sadly there are only two stations that stand out and are actually being watched by most Filipinos, GMA 7 and ABS CBN.

The Filipinos are not divided by political parties. No one would ask you in the Philippines whether you are a Republican or Democratic. In this nation, the war is geared towards these two giant networks and the people must choose whether they are Kapuso if they root for GMA 7 or Kapamilya if they are all out for ABS CBN.

You can see this fact on Web forums, on street talks or even in the offices and sometimes, families are even divided as to what TV station they prefer. Oh, well, maybe that is one of the reasons why many households here have more than one TV set at their homes.

This is not a laughing matter, though. The ardent fans are becoming more and more personal with the way they hit at whatever stations they most like. They would even research with the ugliest details behind the people running the stations, uncover buried hatchets and even create intrigues just to spark more controversies.

If you think that the two stations would do something to pacify the fans or at least straighten out lies and lay out the facts, well, that's far from what's really happened and is still happening.

GMA 7, because they lack superstars at their fence, was said to propagate dirty write-ups, scandalous intrigues that are mostly not true and the last issue that they were said to be doing was sabotaging the ratings game, paying people to watch their shows, the people that they were able to locate as part of the AGB rating's system data gathering.

While ABS CBN, being the larger network that owns the largest electric company and various cable channels in the country, was rumored to be sabotaging GMA 7's reception in certain cable channels and cutting down on the electricity when a new and exciting program of the other network is about to be aired.

So which is the lesser evil?

As a televiewer, I still watch free TV whenever I want to. But these past few days, the networks' feud over the "tainted" ratings results fill both the stations' gaps, both saying that it is for our own sake that they want to show the truth blah-blah-blah.

As someone who wants to watch their shows, I, for one, don't really care about the so-called "truth." I don't care about the stations per se, but rather, their programs and talents. I hate it when they do dirty tactics just to advance ahead the competition. Quality programming is all I care about them both and if they have issues to be resolved, I don't think that the public should be flooded about it because this would only cause the Kapusos and Kapamilyas to argue and argue more, benefiting the two stations.

Something should be done about this. Someone should act on it. And for GMA 7 and ABS CBN, be responsible enough to stop the ads pertaining to the "search for truth." Both of you should just actually learn from the spidey guy that with great power comes great responsibility.

Come on, giant networks, enough is enough!

PIOLO-SAM-LOLIT GAY ISSUE, UM… AGAIN, WHAT’S THE ISSUE?

2007-10-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

I’ve been reading lately, even from a popular local columnist, Rickly Lo, asking what’s the big fuzz over the Sam and Piolo intrigue, why were the latter reacting like the issue is a big deal, and further defending the poor and aggravated party on this story, Lolit Solis, who stands by what she wrote – that she saw the two whispering to each other (in Filipino, “nagbubulungan”).

Lolit Solis, on the other hand, said that it was not herself who placed malice on it but the editor of the paper who wrote the title for the story that contained the word “naglalampungan” (in English, it is showing affection toward each other, but it is really a strong word that when one sees it, there is already a sexual connotation that comes to mind). What a lame excuse! Or is she implying that if the two matinee idols would sue, the editor deserves that more than she does.

Yes, okay, so what’s the big fuss about this whole hullabaloo? It is because Lolit Solis is affiliated with a network that is the fiercest rival of the station where the two stars are involved. Of course, even if Lolit was full of lies, the pro-GMA would defend her to the utmost that they can, as would the pro-Kapamilya for the two artists caught in this controversy.

Why does everybody seem to be on a defensive mode? You know why, had it been someone from ABC 5 or NBN 4 who had made the statement, who would care? But this is Lolit Solis, who is well-known as a GMA artist. It doesn’t matter that she doesn’t have an inch of credibility, she is a Kapuso baby and that is all what counts.

Let us not act innocent as if the poor Lolit Solis is just saying what she believes is true, and asking people why they are responding and so, making a big deal out of this. This is a big deal. Throw the stones at your own network and let the network mend the issues. But once you throw it over the bakod, it becomes a war, especially since Lolit has targeted two of the most bankable stars of the other bakod.

Hmm, I wonder why? Is it because there is really no “sikat” over the station where she works, that even if she sow lies after lies after lies to any “star daw” on her network, no one would care to react?

But whatever, everybody’s benefiting from this, it seems. Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby, despite disputing Lolit’s claims, were also given the favor to promote their shows here and there. And, of course, I bet that Lolit Solis’ showbiz-oriented show and even her column from the tabloid where the issue was first printed were getting the viewers’ attention and readership that was the sole purpose why she has written about it in the first place.

This issue is really a network war more than anything else. I believe that what made this showbiz gossip “big” is to whom it originated from and not really what the issue is about.