Why I Chose Benjamin Button Over Papa Piolo?

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.

A Recap of the Past and Recent Showbiz Scoops

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

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.

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

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.

BRANGELINA TWINS’ FIRST PHOTOS SOLD AT $14 MILLION

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.