Sleepy Primetime Lineup from ABS-CBN

For someone who used to watch a lot of local shows from ABS-CBN, I find myself spending more time now watching GMA-7's morning block - the Ryzza Mae Show and Eat Bulaga.

My 4-year old niece used to enjoy Hawak Kamay because of Juan Karlos’ presence in the show. Lately, though, he had little to no exposure at all, so even the kid was no longer interested in peeking at the boring show.

What is happening with ABS-CBN? After they have made a lot of known stars, only Piolo Pascual is the only legit popular actor in their primetime block now. He is popular, but the story of his drama series does not fit his stature, and he was given a leading lady (Iza) who is better off doing support or even antagonist roles.

I have seen the teasers of their short Christmas seryes. They said that they are bringing those to us, the viewers, as their gifts or way of giving back during this time of the year. I am okay with the Eddie Garcia story or even the Paulo and KC tandem, but my golly, pairing Maja Salvador and Gerald Anderson for a show meant to be enjoyed by the whole family during the Christmas season? What were they thinking? Sorry, I don’t hate them as they are (I have moved on haha!), but they are not the faces that I want to see during the holidays. I would rather watch old or tagalized movies than to be tortured, seeing them playing protagonists and goody-goody when their images in my mind as a chauvinist and playgirl, are still vivid and clear.

I am hoping for better shows with true-blue popular actors for the shows that are lined up for ABS-CBN next year. I have heard about Xian Lim being paired with Maja, such as disappointment for a fan who waited so long to see Xian on TV. Oh well, I don’t think that the network really cares so much about the sentiments of those who watch them. Their current lineup of primetime shows and the main leads are proof that they would do whatever they please and give projects to whoever they like.

I am just ranting, but I know that the network that its viewers brought to the top, wouldn’t care less about most people’s sentiments. Come on, GMA 7, it is your time to shine. This is the best time to push stars who look promising and deliver better stories, now that ABS-CBN seems to be slacking by giving us bland actors, rehashed stories, and the Maja-Gerald tandem (que horror!).

Insignificant Local Showbiz Stories Making Headlines

There are certain showbiz stories that will make you look forward to hear more about, but there are those that would make you ask, “Why did it even make it in the news? Does anyone really care?”

Bato-Bato sa langit, ang tamaan wag magagalit =)

·         It’s confirmed! Derek Ramsay admitted that yes, Cristine Reyes is already his girlfriend and that he thinks that this time, it’s going to be forever. Aaaw… This relationship is like the Maja Salvador and Gerald Anderson admission – no one cares, or okay, maybe a few, but not enough to keep on talking about it. They can keep it to themselves and no one would mind, okay again, maybe a few haha!

Cristine and Maja are already branded as the bad girls in showbizness. Cristine, for warring with her family in public and Maja, for choosing a playboy boyfriend over a serious friendship. Gerald is on his way to being a “has-been” and Derek, I don’t know about him, he is no longer in my showbiz radar, taray haha!

·         Melai Cantiveros, as per the tweets of Ogie Diaz, is pregnant, courtesy of her playboy boyfriend, Jason Francisco. All together now, “Uh-oh!”

·         Claudine Barretto sued her former husband, Raymart Santiago. Gretchen Barretto posted a picture of her with Randy Santiago. Marjorie Barretto was infuriated with allegations that Tony Boy, Gretchen’s partner, is sending her children to school. Gretchen and Marjorie think that Claudine is the basher hiding in many aliases who has been throwing many juicy allegations their way. The mom of these girls… This is a never-ending story, really, and it’s getting boring and repetitious through time.

·         Lovi Poe says that what she and Rocco Nacino have is special friendship. Lovi and who?!

·         Rayver Cruz has a crush on Dina Bonevie, saying that he even bought a magazine that featured a sexy Dina on the cover. Anybody cares about Rayver? He may be a good dancer, good actor, but he does not have the kind of charisma that will make people interested with whatever’s happening to him. Next!

·         Max Collins does not want to follow the footsteps of Megan Young. Who’s asking, anyway? And who is this Max & why did she hire PR writers to write about her? Sayang ang space haha!

These news items may only be fillers as bigger news are set to hit the industry in the coming days or so. Hopefully, the local showbiz industry will again be filled with interesting and worthy stories, which involved interesting and worthy personalities. 

Ina, Kapatid, Anak - A Stereotype Story till the End

I want to make a blog post about the recently concluded soap opera of my most favorite local star, Kim Chiu and her, bedazzling reel (and real-life?) partner, Xian Lim, but I can’t make up my mind on how to do this without sounding like a hater, which I became at the course of this crap, I mean, show, Ina, Kapatid, Anak.

I chanced upon this post from ABS-CBNNews.com about what they think were the 10 memorable scenes from the show. The list includes the following:

10 memorable scenes in 'Ina, Kapatid,Anak'

1. Celyn finds out she's a Marasigan

2. Celyn, Margaux celebrate 18th birthday

3. Margaux, Celyn in intense slapping scene

4. Margaux drives Celyn's car, figures in accident

5. Margaux finds out she's a real Marasigan

6. Liam, Celyn become a couple

7. Celyn, Margaux patch things up

8. Celyn gets kidnapped

9. Celyn gets beat up by Mio

10. Liam proposes to Celyn

For me, although this is from a KimXi fan perspective, since I would always turn the TV off when the story was becoming too focused on Margaux or the oldies’ characters, my favorite and most memorable scenes from the show are:

1. The young Celyn, selling slippers while shouting one of the most memorable lines from the soap – “Tsinelas ni Tere!”

2. Celyn’s scenes that showed her talking to the replica of Sto. Nino. Such trait of Celyn even became the topic of several homilies in the church, where I frequently go to. It is sad that as the show progressed, they took this for granted and focused on too much anger and violence instead.

3. When Celyn went back to the landlady that gave her a place to stay when she was new in the city, and gave her gifts to show her gratitude and to live up to her promise that she would go back when she’s already rich.

4. The first time that Celyn and Liam met in the campus. Their chemistry was overflowing that I never thought the story would never give them a chance to shine as a couple.

5. When Liam learned that they were his dad’s second family.

6. When Celyn was introduced to Tiny. They were the exact opposite that was why they clicked on screen as friends, co-workers and allies. Where did the writer take Tiny’s character as the story progresses? Nada. He was not a favorite.

7. When Celyn spent the night with Liam at the beach after finding out the truth about her character. This could have started something magical for the two, but instead the writer made Liam’s character one confused dude.

8. When Liam came to Celyn’s aid when she needed to practice for the ball and her escort backed out.

9. When Celyn was finally rescued from Mio and the tender hug and kiss that Liam gave her after.

10. The anguish and pains of Celyn when she thought that her Nanay Teresa died, both at the old, gloomy building and at the hospital.

The story had a very promising premise – something unique and rarely tackled. It could have been developed in so many unique ways, but it did not happen. The story started to lag when too much emphasis was given to Margaux’ character. I started to withdraw from my habit of watching it nightly when this happened. All the casts’ problems revolved around the character. It was too obvious that they wanted Maja Salvador to shine, but instead of achieving such, more people started to feel irritated. Most of its viewers watched the show, not for Maja, but for Kim, whom they delegated as the second lead for a time.

For the creatives’ part, they were justifying the turn of events by saying that this is a family drama and not a love story. For most of the viewers though, this has become a Margaux drama. They could have at least tried to balance the story and give equal exposures to all the casts in its entire run. They only passed on the torch of responsibility to Kim Chiu when the ratings dropped phenomenally and almost reached the 20s.

Everything has become so rushed since then. The story stood out for being poorly written, but well-acted. For the CeLiam parts, they either repeated romantic scenes from another Kim Chiu and Xian Lim teleserye, My Binondo Girl, or imitate what was happening with Kim and Xian in real life. The chemistry may be strong, but the story was very weak and yes again, rushed.

Oh well, time to move on. I can’t say that I’ve wasted my eight months watching this because I only watched maybe half of its run. I just hope that they can give Kim Chiu a good story on her next project and give Xian Lim a material, where he will also shine as well. Stop playing favorites, ABS-CBN. Look at what happened to the story of this promising show when you have decided to give the highlight to your favorite. Okay, time to end my rants. I am looking forward now to the Kim and Xian movie, which was based on the book of Ramon Bautista, Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo. For now, I will forget that Ina, Kapatid, Anak ever existed haha!

PS: For those who missed the bloopers, here it is:

In Line with the Kim Chiu, Maja Salvador Rift over Gerald Anderson - Is It Okay to Date Your Best Friend's Ex?

In line with the latest happenings in the local showbiz scene, an interesting topic is now the talk-of-the-town at schools, in the offices, segments at shows like Umagang Kay Ganda, social networking sites and so many more.

Is it okay to date the ex of your best friend? 

When the news about the Kim Chiu-Maja Salvador rift broke out, I can totally relate with Kim. No one needs to ask, I just thought that I don’t think that any girl would want to be in the position of Kim. It may be okay if the Maja in the story is a mere acquaintance or a classmate or a former colleague, but if this was done by the person whom you consider the best among your friends, it can really get confusing and unfathomable on how could they do this to you.

I have read some articles, which commented that this only happened because Kim still has feelings for Gerald. Most of these articles were written by gays. I still have to see a woman write that this scenario is okay or a straight man. This draws me into the conclusion that for gays, they would be fine with it. Is it?

The scenario here is this. Gerald was Kim’s first love. She has suffered lots of heartaches, and even Gerald admitted that he has hurt Kim’s feelings over and over again. Kim used to be meek. She even defended this guy amid the Pauleen Luna issue even when Pauleen herself was posting pictures of Gerald and her together, along with the same friends (cohorts) whom he would always be seen whenever Gerald would have controversial pictures out with different girls, both from showbiz and out of the industry.

Kim was able to keep her silence. To get past the broken-hearted stage, she turned to Maja and told her everything about this person who has given her biggest heart break. As a best friend, you would think that Maja would always keep a safe distance from Gerald for hurting her best friend (the best friend who has showered her with material gifts and helped her to be noticed in the business where Maja has been stuck as a starlet for a long time).

Maja may be a friendly person and she extended the attitude towards Gerald, the one person who made her best friend feel like a trash at one point in her life. I don’t know what’s the real score between them. With Gerald’s history and reputation, he would not tell the truth even if he is already caught red-handed. He was seen with Pauleen at the time that he was still in a relationship with Kim.

Gerald said. Not true. He doesn't even know the girl

He was seen going out with Bea Alonzo, while his relationship with Kim was said to be on the rocks.

Gerald said. Not true. Bea was only his crush. (Yeah, I know, he was forced to admit the truth after Bea turned her back on him for not having enough balls to defend her against the detractors that were throwing the stones at the wrong person.)

He was seen being intimate with a non-showbiz girl while he was professing on screen his admiration for Sarah Geronimo.

CTO: Google and all original owners of the pictures above 

Gerald said. She was just a fan.

I already saw the teaser for tomorrow's The Buzz episode (January 13), so I'll add it here. Regarding Maja...

Gerald said. I would love to (court her) if she will give me the chance.

Court talaga? Based on the pictures and recent twits of sighting of these two, parang di na kailangan ng ligawan e =)

All these images can be found in Google. And I did not search for anything that relates to Gerald being linked with gay benefactors. I am not sure that I am ready with what I’ll find and a part of me still believes that he would not do that. Don’t tell me Maja was not aware of these brouhahas because all you need is to type Gerald’s name and name of the person whom you think he is dating or used to date, on Google, and you will see trails of this playboy’s favorite game – girls.

In my opinion, if Maja was a real friend of Kim, she would not dare date or even think of getting close to Gerald.

If the Gerald in the story was part of a girl-boy romance that ended because they realized that they did not click, but parted as friends and the girl still regards the boy highly, then I don’t see anything wrong if the best friend would later on enter the scene. The former girlfriend would even try pairing up the two if she believes that they are more right for each other.

Well, as we all know and also Mr. Google, the Kim-Gerald romance did not end the typical way. One was left badly hurting, while the other just went on doing what he does best – girl hunting.

To make the story more complicated, Maja was a good friend of Sarah as well. They may not be the best of friends, but they would always have good words towards one another and Maja even showed her support by watching Sarah’s shows.

If this happened to commoners like me, I would even be fiercer than Kim. After asking Maja to help me get through my trust issues, she would be the last person I’d think of who will break that trust. If I were Kim, I would not plead to the bashers to stop hating on the two. I will cheer them on. Haha!

On the part of Gerald, knowing that her ex girlfriend is the best friend of his current eye candy, he would have the decency not to make the latter fall for him, if he was sincere in saying that he was sorry for hurting Kim in the past. Well, I guess that decency is not part of Gerald's vocabulary.

I have read somewhere that Sam Milby asked John Pratts’ permission before he started dating or asked Shaina Magdayao out. The case here is that Shaina gave John a bad heartbreak for dumping him to be with John Lloyd Cruz. It is just that John also has the image of being a playboy, so I guess, he would not really mind this development.

Oh well, papel, is it really okay to date your best friend’s ex?

See related articles here:

Kim Chiu on Maja Salvador and Gerald Anderson - And So the Story Goes

Fiercer Kim Chiu and Sarah Geronimo, Lovebirds Maja Salvador and Gerald Anderson, and Other Local Tsismis

Kim Chiu on Maja Salvador and Gerald Anderson - And So the Story Goes

And just like that, the truth is out. Kim Chiu stood and braved all questions thrown at her during the Ina, Kapatid, Anak presscon held Tuesday night. This is quite far from the broken person she was once back in 2010 when the news broke out on the truth about the Gerald-Bea Alonzo romance.

Here's a summary of what transpired at this very intense press conference:

The issue here is not about Gerald Anderson at all. Kim has trusted Maja with all her heartaches from this one person whom Maja is now singing romantic tunes with. Para lang syang humanap ng pagkakataon para sya naman ang maging “It” girl sa buhay ni Gerald. Maja had chosen to stand by this man who once treated her best friend like trash. That speaks volume of the real Maja Salvador.

I don't want to badmouth anyone, but with how things turned out, it was like Maja had chosen to take a stand. And between Kim and Gerald, she had chosen the latter, a lover over a friend, wow!

Uh-oh, Gerald, I don’t think that an ambulance would suffice when you try to emotionally explain your side to the public this time. You must rent a hospital for a more dramatic effect.

CTO: Sarah Anderson and Fashion Pulis

Looking into the positive side, at least Kim has found Xian Lim amid all the troubles that she has encountered with her past love and scheming best friend. 

Okay, kalma haha! Here are some of the statements from the fiercer and fearless Kim Chiu at tonight's presscon:

CTO: abs-cbnnews

From this piece, these are the statements that I liked the most:

"Nakakapagod na din po kasi yung tanong kayo ng tanong sa akin tungkol kay Gerald eh ang dami niya na pong dinaanang babae, hindi ba? Hindi lang naman ako. Bakit hindi niyo po hingin ang opinyon ng ibang babae since marami naman po sila"

"We are good, we are OK. I don't care, I don't care, bahala na siya. She knows Gerald, who Gerald is." 

"...I'm happy for them, pero parang nalungkot lang ako na yung taong sinabihan ko noong time na down ako eh parang kinain niya lang yung sinabi niya."

I can totally relate with Kim and I think that every girl who have experienced being involved with a jerk who unabashedly turned to the best friend of his ex, would feel the same way like how Kim reacted. She is concerned with Maja, above everything else. 

This whole story also vindicated Mommy Divine of Sarah Geronimo (take note, Ogie Diaz). Ogie is one of those who keeps on insisting that there is something wrong with how Mommy D has handled the Sarah-Gerald interrupted romance. She may be strict with her girl, but young girls would realize when they have become adults that no mother would want any harm for their kids. It is a good thing that Sarah G stuck to her parents' side and defended them, especially Mommy D., when the criticisms won't stop even after Gerald stopped from pursuing Sarah.

These are some of the tweets that really made my night and made me a proud fan of Kim Chiu.

This one also made my night because as I have said in my previous post - 
Fiercer Kim Chiu and Sarah Geronimo, Lovebirds Maja Salvador and Gerald Anderson, and Other Local Tsismis, I have developed total respect for Sarah G.

This image is really inspiring. This signifies that although these showbiz sweethearts have been hurt and bruised, they have found their voices and are ready to face the future with a fiercer and fearless attitude.

CTO: Pam Nicole

And to cap off this very intense and intriguing night for all Kim Chiu fans, here's a funny but very meaningful tweet that made my night.

I don't really know how to end this post because the story is only beginning. For sure, there will be more developments as days (or hours) go by. I'll just end this with a retweeted quote of Kim's make-up artist, Haidz Fernandez:

Here's the full video interview of Kim Chiu, along with Xian Lim. Aside from the issue upfront, what caught my KimXi heart at this interview was the slip of the tongue of Xian that they were together in Hong Kong last Christmas (or I only misheard this part) and that he also celebrated New Year's with Kim. (Ayiiiie, another round of press con, please, for these two. And if this is going to happen, kindly eradicate Maja from the scene and avoid asking Kim about Gerald like a plague =)

video credits to: Chikkaness Ave

PS:

For all those who can't understand why Kim reacted this way, either you are a man who does not have much contact with women, you don't have a best friend or you are MAJA SALVADOR, here's the most important rule according to the Girls "Secret" Code.

CTO: Ms. Lean via Twitter

See related articles here:


Fiercer Kim Chiu and Sarah Geronimo, Lovebirds Maja Salvador and Gerald Anderson, and Other Local Tsismis

In Line with the Kim Chiu, Maja Salvador Rift over Gerald Anderson - Is It Okay to Date Your Best Friend's Ex?

Fiercer Kim Chiu and Sarah Geronimo, Lovebirds Maja Salvador and Gerald Anderson, and Other Local Tsismis

Move over, Sarah Labati, because a more interesting showbiz happening is starting to unfold.

If you were able to watch ASAP even on your TV screens, there were lots of interesting and awkward moments that happened on its January 6, 2013 episode. I waited for the production number of Ina, Kapatid, Anak to catch Kim Chiu and Xian Lim. To add to its production value, it started with the trio of Kim, Maja Salvador and Enchong Dee. There came a point when Enchong left so that Xian could take his place. Wow, when the two girls were left on stage on their own even for a short time, you can sense that there was a certain level of discomfort with the two who used to be the best of friends. Maja's eyes would skip Kim and looked around as if she was eager for Xian to come out on stage. Kim looked like she was finally able to breathe when Xian was already by her side.

KimXi did not fail to deliver at that production number. It was super kilig even though they only looked at each other's eyes and held one another. There was what seemed like a pilit effort for the other pair to appear that they were sweeter than KimXi. They even shared one mic, which failed to get any responses.

And then there was the spiel where Kim and Xian were together with Enchong Dee, Cristine Reyes, Vina Morales and I am not sure if he was part of it, but Gerald Anderson also joined the group. It became rowdy, with Enchong, Cristine and Gerald at the helm of being childish on national TV, not minding that there were other people in the group who felt like the teasing and jokes were just too much.

Many fans felt the same way, too, and some of them blurted their reactions at a photo that was posted on Instagram by Kim's make-up artist, Haidee Fernandez. To which Kim replied:

At the time, Kim has already unfollowed Gerald on Instagram. What's more mind-boggling is that Maja also unfollowed not only Kim but Xian on this popular and now controversial photo sharing app. Kim followed suit and unfollowed Maja as well the day after.

So what's the big deal with this follow-unfollow thingy? Before this happened, it was evident that fewer pictures of Kim and Maja together were being posted even though they were both in the same places or events. Maja had more pictures with Gerald circulating over the internet, including their vacation pictures in Misibis Bay with other friends during the holidays.

Before this whole brouhaha, the local entertainment news was filled with Sarah Geronimo's fierce statements in defense of her parents and strong words about what happened or what she has learned with her life's episode with Gerald.

And now, the latest gossips are about Maja and Gerald being together for over a year now. It may be okay for them to become a couple, but this is quite complicated.

Maja was Kim's best friend and Kim is Gerald's ex-girlfriend. Kim is a good friend of Matteo Guidicelli who is Maja's ex. Maja is or was a good friend of Sarah G or that she claimed to be. If this has been going on for a year, it happened while Gerald was still pursuing Sarah and Kim was still helping Maja and Matteo to patch things up.

Wow, talk about being complicated. Let us just see where this story leads. For this blogger, I never liked Maja, and this gives me more reasons to continue doing so. The story made me a bigger fan of Kim though and I have developed total respect for Sarah G.

As for Sarah Labati, you have placed yourself in a position where you will never win because you are fighting with your boss. If you will keep on saying things against them, they will just use these to ruin you even more. The best thing to do is to finish the contract and do your work obediently and leave immediately after it expires.

And 2013 is only beginning, hmmm, this is shaping up to be a more controversial year to the local entertainment industry.

Related Articles:


Kim Chiu on Maja Salvador and Gerald Anderson - And So the Story Goes

In Line with the Kim Chiu, Maja Salvador Rift over Gerald Anderson - Is It Okay to Date Your Best Friend's Ex?

The Hits and Misses at the Star Magic Ball 2012

While cramming for a deadline last night, I could not help but peek at the updates and photos about the annual Star Magic Ball at different online sites. I am not a fashion guru, but for my simple taste, here are my takes on how the Kapamilya stars have chosen to shine last night at the ball or made no effort at all in dimming their own lights.

Credits to the owners of the pictures below. I got most pictures from Push, PEX and Twitter:

SUPAH HOT!
Those smiles spell one thing- HAPPINESS.
They really look like a real couple here.
They deserve the Couple of the Night award that they got.

Kim Chiu is Queen Chiu.
She has really mastered her fashion sense.
She amazingly looks like a real star.

Xian Lim, shining on his own without Kim by his side.
His time has finally arrived. Gwapo sobra (drools).

Super wow for Maja Salvador!
She looks like a goddess here and she rightfully
deserves the Female Star of the Night award that she got.

Julia Montes should have exchanged looks with Maja for the ball.
She looks as if she was groomed to appear quite older than her real age.
This night could have been her chance to let her youth shine by letting her hair down
and by wearing something like Maja's attire. Oh well, she won Sweetheart of the Night for this manang look.

 

Kathryn Bernardo is very pretty and this simple gown fits her age.
She's even prettier with cutie Daniel Padilla by her side.
I like Daniel better without his glasses though.
Their team-up won the Breakout Fashion Award

Bea Alonzo in a gown, which cannot be worn by those who have weak hearts.
It suited her though, her bulky yet shapely figure compliment the style and material of this creation.

Megan Young proves that not all morenas cannot shine in black.
What is she still doing in local showbiz? She ought to try modeling.

Shaina Magdayao strutting a sexy back, but this gown
would look better on Angelica Panganiban.

This is a pretty gown, but it does not suit Angelica Panganiban.
She should have traded gowns with John Lloyd Cruz' ex.

They are cute, literally. This is Ella Cruz, looking like she's enjoying her youth (ehem, Julia Montes) and partner.

Nikki Gil knows that she looks good with this kind of look,
so she appears at every special  Kapamilya event looking like this. It gets boring, girl.
It's a good thing that Billy Crawford looks dashing by your side.

Bianca Manalo, looking like a winner even though she was dateless that night.

Yeng Constantino looking like a sweetheart.

Maricar Reyes is another effortless beauty.

I'll include this on the hit list because this made me laugh.
This former Going Bulilit star stayed loyal to the night's theme, which is black and white.
He was like saying, "Take a back seat, Empoy. I am here."

Here's a list of the winners for this year's ball.

Jawdropping Stunner award- Bea Alonzo

Standout Star- Coco Martin

Prince and Princess of the Night- Julia Barretto and Julian Estrada

Sweetheart of the Night - Julia Montes

Hot Mama award - Carmina Villarroel

Hot Papa award - Gerald Anderson

Breakout Stlye Award - Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo

Stars of the Night - Enchong Dee and Maja Salvador

Fab Pair - Maricar Reyes and Richard Poon

Couple of the Night - Xian Lim and Kim Chiu

Star Magic Icons - Diether Ocampo and Angelica Panganiban. 

Dawn Zulueta may not have gotten any award that night,
but this picture proves that she's "unkabogable"
She's the rightful recipient of the award as the ball's stunner.

If there are hits, there are also lots of misses in the night's ball.
It is a beautiful gown, but worn by the wrong person.
Erich Gonzales looked better last year when she wore an orange gown that complimented her complexion.

It takes guts for someone like Enchong Dee to snatch something from Kuya Germs' closet.
I can already imagine him doing Walang Tulugan 40 years from now, and yeah, he won an award, sighs...

Bangs Garcia obviously wanted to win the Worst Dressed Award, and you did it girl.
You even got a bonus for also being the most deserving for the Worst hairdo award.

Did she do that on purpose? She looked like a caricature.
This is Myrtle, by the way, the winner of the last PBB Teens batch.
The gown is fabulous, but I cannot stare long at her picture. 

She's young, but in this picture, it's quite obvious that Andi Eigenmann has aged a lot after becoming a mom.

Charee Pineda in a gown that looks as if it was not intended for a glam ball.

I'll end this post on a positive and yummy note. OMG, Enrique Gil, you deserve the Hot Papa Award that night. Come on, ABS-CBN, this one looks to be the most fitting for the role of Captain Barbell.

PS:

In my own humble opinion, my best dressed and stand out stars who shone the brightest, exuding excellent taste in fashion and confidence for this one-night and once in a year only affair are: 

and

CALL ME MAYBE - with Kim Chiu, Xian Lim & More

So this is what happens when celebrities are off cam. They are as crazy just like the rest of us haha! This is cute!

Instagram Celebrity Users

Now that Instagram is already available for Android users, even your favorite local celebrities are hopping in to the craze in order to try and reach out to their fans or tsismosa users just like me =)

Here are some Philippine-based celebrities who are constantly updating their Instagram pages. While there are many people here who are also active in Twitter, there are some who prefer to share a peek into their famous lives via this popular and free photo sharing site.

My Cactus Heart - A Surprisingly Good and Fun to Watch Film

I was with my 7-year-old niece this morning. We headed to SM for some errands. The week before, we were already planning to watch My Cactus Heart, but she was not that enthusiastic about it because Kim Chiu was not part of the cast.

Yep, like aunt like niece. She was a baby when Kim Chiu emerged as winner at PBB. My niece grew up watching her sole favorite young actress blossom from a very nervous performer to the confident and blooming actress that she is now.

She made sure that was awake during Fridays when My Binondo Girl was placed at a late timeslot. Now that the show has wrapped up, she no longer watches drama on TV, like the rest of the family. Oh well, I can go on and on with how my niece (even the youngest one) and the whole family are addicted to Kim, but we now have found a new addiction and he goes by the name of Xian Lim.

Before we could enter the mall, my niece asked me if Xian’s movie, My Cactus Heart, was still being shown. I said yes, but I told her that Xian was not playing the lead, so he’d probably be in few scenes only. Despite the warning, we went straight to the cinema where the film was being shown.

It was a Friday, a holiday here in Bulacan because this was Blas Ople’s birthday. It was surprising to see that even on its second week run, there were lots of people inside the cinema, both young and old. And yes, I think that most of them have gotten the Xian bug as well, because his name was all I could ever hear from the murmurs around us – Asan na si Xian? Ang tagal ni Xian. Si Xian, si Xian.

The opening of the film was an animation and unlike many Xian’s fans that were present at the time, my niece dreamily said while the animation was being shown – Sana si Kim Chiu na lang yung bida.

If I can give her an award at that moment, she would receive the highest honor of being addicted to Kim.

So where was I? Oh yeah, this was supposed to be a movie review haha!

The story of the film was very simple that it could have been written by a 10-year-old kid. There was nothing new with the story. It has been used over and over again as main plot or as part of many stories’ subplots.

As simple as the story of My Cactus Heart seems to be, the film used a unique way of storytelling that will get you hooked and interested all throughout (even though Kim Chiu was not part of the casts).

And wow, the magic of Matteo and Maja Salvador on screen was unbelievable. Matteo did not shine in My Binondo Girl, but he was able to pull it off really well on his scenes with his real-life girlfriend.

There were many lines and moments in the story where you’d get a good laugh. The dialogues come out naturally.

I liked the performance of Gee Canlas, the one who played Maja’s BFF since high school. She was convincing. I was not that convinced though that the actor who played Maja’s brother was gay. He could have given more, but well, this might be his first acting job, so there’s a lot of room for improvement for him.

The story was going fine. It was supposed to give out a good revelation and drama when the child who played the young version of Matteo was seen and Pinky Amador’s character was revealed.

It was supposed to be Matteo’s acting highlight on the film. I was already preparing myself to cry. But no thanks to the dialogues that were given to Pinky and Ramon Christopher, the long dialogues that explained about what really happened to their characters, the moment was ruined. This was the part wherein even as an spectator, you’d wish that the actors would just shut up so that people would be able to focus to the hurt and betrayal that Matteo’s character was feeling.

Maja is a character actress. She is too good and the material was too light for her caliber. She did very well, but this is not her forte. There are actors and actresses who were naturally born to play kilig and pa-tweetums role to a tee. Yes, these include Kim Chiu and Sarah Geronimo, but these two young superstars are slowly coming out of their comfort zones, but they are still the best ones in the local industry today who can pull of a “tamang timpla” of kilig whoever they may be paired with.

Xian Lim, as we already have expected, had limited exposure in the film. But his scenes were remarkable. His eyes are very expressive. He suits the role of being a good-natured and romantic guy. I wonder how he’d be able to pull off a character that is dark and the complete opposite of Andy Wu. That would be a challenge and I really hope that he’d be given something that will allow us to see a different side of him.

Overall, the film was worth the money that we have paid for it. It was done in good taste, even though it was low-budgeted. The story was basic, plain and very simple, but the storytelling was a work of genius. The shots were not that great or compelling. Most of the shots actually look as if these were done by a film student, but the editing made up for all the weaknesses of its technicalities.

Based on this film, Star Cinema should really give in to the clamor for people to see more of Xian Lim. And if it is not too much to ask, please prioritize something with Kim Chiu in it. 

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

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.