Kim Chiu "Softly": OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

Kim Chiu's way of saying thank you to all her supporters =)

Here's the Karaoke version. All together now! =)

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!

Kim Chiu on MMK

Kim Chiu and Xian Lim Invade the Commercial Scene

Who needs good TV when commercials are more fun to watch? Here are some, featuring two of the hottest young stars of today & hottest pair as well, Kim Chiu and Xian Lim, also known as KimXi. Hoping not only for  more commercials, but more projects as well! 

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. 

My Binondo Girl - the Confused Finale

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 voice saying, “Ni hao, mga Kapamilya,” I opted to continue sleeping. After the first gap though, I was fully awake and thank God, I was no longer able to see a glimpse 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 character kept on mentioning his name as if everybody’s lives should now revolve on finding justice for him.

This is typical of a Kim Chiu drama. I just thought that My Binondo Girl would be an exception because this was marketed as light and fun. In Tayong Dalawa, Kim was only used to develop more challenging plots to the character 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, Coco Martin’s character was given more depth, more story and even without telling it to the viewers’ faces, Coco was treated as lead in these two soaps.

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

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

This last week, actually the last three weeks, were already geared for the story to revolve around Onyx. I did not watch this soap because of Jolo Revilla. I did not watch this either because of Xian Lim. The latter only became a bonus because he was so good & quite good looking, if I must add – 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 me really was that the feel was light, the story did not have heavy plots or gory twists, it did not resort to goons and guns… Or so I thought, that’s why I felt cheated. It only waited until it already got the signal that they’d be airing the final week before the story became heavy and the goons and guns were presented.

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

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

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

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

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.

The End of Piolo Pascual - KC Concepcion Fairy Tale

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

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!

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.