The Best and Worst Dressed at the Star Magic Ball 2014

It's again that time of the year when even ordinary people, like me, get to have their say about glam and fashion, thanks to the yearly star-studded ball of Star Magic/ABS-CBN. There were some artists, which fashion sense, leveled up, but there were more misses this year than last year.

First, let me take this off my chest.

credit as tagged

Woooowww... I can't get over this picture. Hands down, KimXi or the Kim Chiu and Xian Lim loveteam, watta fab pair.

They did not win, of course. This is the winning couple of the Fabulous Pair award - Piolo Pascual and Iza Calzado.

Instagram: Starmagicphils

Papa P, please get a haircut, like how you looked in your film with Toni G. I'm not sure about Iza's gown, it's not really something that is wishing for an award, but this may be part of the promo of their on-going series, Hawak Kamay.

The Couple of the Night, for me, if it is still going to be based on how they dressed, is real life partners, Jericho Rosales and Kim Jones.

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Jericho and Kim looked very regal. Real life sweethearts, Angelica Panganiban and John Lloyd Cruz won the award for being the Couple of the Night. To be fair, Angelica's make-up suits her and oh well, John Lloyd is a stunner no matter what he is wearing.

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The winners of the best dressed, according to Star Magic, are Paolo Avelino and Julia Barretto.

Instagram: Starmagicphils

I am not sure how to pick the best dressed for men since they all look the same haha! The difference only lies on how they carry themselves and there are instances when some men opt to really stand out from the rest, like Enchong Dee's unforgettable German Moreno inspired get-up last year and Daniel Padilla's red overall in an event with a black and white theme this year.

For the men, I'd go for Jericho Rosales, Xian Lim and Richard Gomez for the best dressed category.

CTO (cropped)

The best dressed among the ladies, for me, are Dawn Zulueta, Gretchen Barretto and Kim Chiu.

credits to Rappler (cropped)

If only there is an award for the sweetheart of the night, or the best dressed among teens, it rightly belongs to Janella Salvador. She looks every bit of a teenager, from her clothes, accessories, to her hair and make-up.

CTO (cropped)

Let's go to the worst dressed.

CTO

Come on, Bangs Garcia, you can do better than that. And why not bring Phil Younghusband at the next ball? You never know, but a gorgeous beau might change the appeal of your ensemble.

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The gown of Alex Gonzaga, for me, is too simple, for this big and glamorous event.

Hands down for the number 1 worst dressed at the 8th Star Magic Ball - it's Kristel Moreno.

The gown looks cheap and it is either she doesn't really look fit or there is a mistake with the camera angle. At least, many people would now wonder who you are, since I don't think she is that visible on TV, but sighs, all for the wrong reasons. Better luck next year =)

Expecting a Pinkish White Glow Results for 24 7 In Love

I ought to write something about having a pinkish white glow skin, but first off, I want to share my thoughts about 24/7 In Love and Suddenly It’s Magic, which seem to be trekking the same path. Here it goes…

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I am wondering whether or not the latest offering from Star Cinema, which was co-produced by Star Magic, 24/7 In Love, was a hit or tragic like the last film that aired before its run – Suddenly It’s Magic.

Before I start ranting about my reasons why I won’t watch 24/7 In Love and why I am writing this instead of a piece about having a pinkish white glow skin, this is my take why Suddenly It’s Magic turned tragic. Oh boy, the movie poster was a disaster. It is as if they have spent all their resources on the leading man’s talent fee, whom most Pinoys know as the guy in the Thai movie, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, than his real or screen name. He may be cute and charming. The movie could have done better if it was given a leading lady with a solid following, like Kim Chiu or Sarah Geronimo.

Instead of choosing a leading lady (who has a pinkish white glow – maisingit lang) who looks good with just about anyone paired to them, they have tapped someone who looks better in grim roles, like Aswang, than in any stories that are light and aimed to make people feel in love and kilig. Some of Erich Gonzales fans, at the time of the movie’s promo, would argue that she was the first choice, so opinion-givers can no longer do anything about it. Now it was proven that we can do something and that is to decide not to watch this flop film. I know what they will say now – that the movie is still being shown in other countries or that Star Cinema already regained its money because it has sold the movie rights to its Thailand counterpart, and so on. Whatever they say, nothing can change the latest figures that this movie has created at BOM – it flopped and the magic really turned tragic.

Now on to 24/7 In Love – I have a feeling that this is headed the tragic route as well. It features the biggest artists of Star Magic, such as John Lloyd Cruz, Bea Alonzo and Piolo Pascual. It has the hottest loveteam that caters to teens and pre-teens, KathNiel and it was promoted as the comeback film of KathNiel predecessor, KimErald.

Its selling point, aside from the artists, was the compilation of seven love stories in one film. The downside to this is that, based on the teasers and trailers, all these stories are sort of “gasgas.” I no longer need to pay for it just to prove that I won’t enjoy the film. Oh well, I really won’t enjoy it because I am craving for Kim Chiu’s other loveteam, which is KimXi (Kim Chiu and Xian Lim), than the one that was featured in this movie. Of all the artists and their fan bases, I think that only the fans of KathNiel (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla) would seriously plan on checking this out, simply because most of them are young, but I don’t think that this will be enough to turn this film into a hit.

This is only my hunch though, that this is going to flop and will show box office results that is only a little higher than Suddenly It’s Tragic, er Magic. I’ll be very surprised, but happy, if I turned out to be wrong. Piolo needs a hit movie and the story of Sam Milby and Pokwang seems cute, but it is still not enough for me to brave the cinemas and watch Kim with Gerald Anderson, haha! Bitter! I know, right?

The good thing about this movie though is it’s movie poster. It was far beyond my expectations after the Tragic’s poster, but the two layouts for the 24/7 In Love film looked awesome. Kudos to whoever made these.

Back to my pinkish white glow article, but hoping that the next movie from Star Cinema would be better than these two. Is it going to be the MMFF entry, Sisterakas? Oh good Lord, not again hehe!

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Edit: December 10, 2012

Based on the figures at BOM, the gross of 24/7 In Love did not turn out to be as bright and shimmering as the number of stars that were part of its cliche stories.

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

My Local Celebrity Pairing Bets for 2012

Obviously, I am a Kim Chiu-Whoever her partner is fan. It only goes that I favor Xian Lim at the moment because they haven’t done solo TV drama and movie yet. After Xian, I hope that Kim gets paired with someone who is older and more mature, like Piolo Pascual. I want to see the contrast and for a change, see a film that tackles age gap in relationships from a different light.

Xian will also look good when paired with older leading ladies, like Judy Ann Santos or Claudine Barretto, if the latter will decide to come back at ABS-CBN or if ABS-CBN would accept her still. If ever Sandara Park would do a movie with Star Cinema, I think that Xian will also create an on-screen stir as her partner.

As per Gerald Anderson, it is only now that I am realizing that it will be quite promising to see him on screen with Bea Alonzo, but I don’t think that this is the right time for this team-up. There are many fans who still haven’t moved on from the controversies that these two have created when they fell for each other at the wrong place and at the wrong time (sounds like a movie premise already). For the meantime, I hope that he gets paired with KC Concepcion. I think that the pairing has the ability to prove that KC is only waiting for the right material and right partner to prove her bankability.

Bea Alonzo, although she’s not visible on TV, is doing a film, but as months go by, it appears as if this film is doomed (hopefully not). I wonder how an artist feels every time they had to re-shoot scenes that they have already done just because their partner had chosen to pursue their Hollywood dream and the replacement had chosen to move to another network. They can break the curse by bringing John Lloyd Cruz in. He is Bea’s reliable partner and the pairing has a huge following.

This is not a new pairing, but the Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla team-up should be given a movie while it is still hot. And oh please, don’t let Kathryn wear her hair with bangs, like how she looks at the soap, Princess and I. She’s more beautiful with how she looked during her Mara Clara days, but her beauty really shone when she played the young Gretchen in Magkaribal.

It is tricky to find the right pair for Julia Montes. I really thought that she would not be able to pull it off with Coco Martin, but she did, with flying colors. I think that she really is the next Bea Alonzo. For these women, great acting, plus good looks are enough even though they don’t have constant partners.

There are two big Kapamilya stars who badly need reinvention, Vice Ganda and Sarah Geronimo. Vice has already proven that he can create blockbuster movies even without the help of other big stars. I wonder how it would look if the idea of pairing Angel Locsin with the man version of Vice Ganda would push through. I don’t think so. A good gay film will do, but no more slapsticks comedy, please.

I want to see a different Sarah Geronimo. Sarah who is acting her age and is experiencing real life and love troubles of women in their mid 20s. Just for a change, I want to see her serious side, yung pang award. It does not matter who her leading man is. Her movies, for as long as these are of good taste and quality, will earn whether she has a big star or a newcomer as a partner.

What about the stars from the other network? I think that at the moment, while GMA-7 has not yet found the formula to develop “big” stars, big in the sense that the viewing public will pay to see them on the big screen and not be contented being part of the percentage of the TV ratings, GMA Films should go back to their old formula. They ought to bring back quality films to the mainstream market. They have specialized on the genre before, giving people the likes of Muro Ami, Deathrow, Jose Rizal and so on.

That’s it. Just sharing some musings while I am working on certain articles that are harder to finish than this kind =)

P.S.

I love the current ad (as of this writing) on my blog's upper banner, kilig!