Only two nations from the previous edition are skipping this year: The island of St. Lucia and the US Virgin Islands. And how ironic for the latter, considering its proximity to Florida. With 29 delegates, it’s not just the most … Continue reading 69th Miss Universe Initial Impressions: The Americas and the Caribbean
I briefly worked with J.R. Isaac when TV5 hired him to handle publicity of its young artist pool back in 2012. The campaign involved sending the talents to high-profile events, concerts, and parties and culminated with this memorable fashion shoot with his brother Raymund. During that brief period, I found J.R. to be patient and full of energy, in spite of his seemingly-pensive facade. He made sure everybody had fun. I had fun.
Ang Bagong Pamilya ni Ponching
D: Inna Salazar Acuña and Dos Ocampo
S: Janus del Prado, Ketchup Eusebio, Lollie Mara, Joyce Burton Titular, Odette Khan, Ricardo Cepeda
RATING: 
Hitches abound in Inna Acuña and Dos Ocampo‘s joint directorial debut. For the most part, Ang Bagong Pamilya ni Ponching plays like a 90s local sitcom. It’d feel no different filmed in a shoddy set, replete with laugh tracks. Save for a hilarious Snapchat reference, most of the gags feel generic and passé. But what this earnest morality tale lacks in freshness is counteracted by its overall enthusiasm.
Continue reading “Enthusiasm keeps problematic “Ponching” afloat”
Ang Taba Ko Kasi
D: Jason Paul Laxamana
S: Cai Cortez, Ryan Yllana, Mark Neumann
RATING: 
No other CineFilipino 2016 finalist enjoyed more pre-festival hype than Jason Paul Laxamana‘s Ang Taba Ko Kasi. The teasers were intriguing, the memes were hilarious, and its Facebook page amassed more than 73,000 fans. Those fans likely cried foul when the trailer was slammed with an “X” rating. Couple that hype with widely relatable subject matters like weight struggle and unrequited love and we’ve got ourselves a potential sentimental favorite. Now, if only the follow-through was as heavy.
Last Friday, TV5 celebrated UN’s International Day of Happiness with a visit to Bahay Aruga, a free halfway home for pediatric cancer patients nestled in the vicinity of Paco, Manila. Executives, celebrities, and other volunteers banded together in providing an afternoon of fun … Continue reading Happy Day in Bahay Aruga!
Jobseekers who attended Day 2 of this year’s MVP Career Fest were in for a pleasant surprise when Kapatid celebrities dropped by the venue earlier this afternoon. The stars entertained the crowd in an intermission program hosted by News5 personalities MJ Marfori and Laila Chikadora. Their appearances were interspersed with motivational talks delivered by renowned executives. Highlights include Talent Center artists Mark Neumann, Akihiro Blanco, Chris Leonardo, Alberto Bruno, Nicole Estrada, and Malak So Shdifat gyrating to Magic’s Rude. This was followed by an appearance by Tropa Moko mainstay Wendell Ramos and a raffle draw conducted by PBA players. The segment was capped off by two song numbers. First was by Talent Center‘s Marvelous Alejo, who took on a KZ Tandingan single. … Continue reading Career Fest Crashers
Earlier today, I paid a quick visit to Hair Asia‘s 25th National Open Championship, which they held in celebration of their silver anniversary. Just like in previous years, the annual hair and make-up competition and beauty expo attracted thousands of guests – participants and … Continue reading Ritz Azul and Marvelous Alejo in Hair Asia’s 25th Anniversary
We got to know him as Gerard Sison, the Australian-raised model-surfer who played shady suitor Miguel Asuncion in JasMine the Series. Now, the Kapatid hunk is ready to conquer the scene anew with a bolder attitude and a brand new moniker. Introducing: Gerard Garcia! His rebirth (so he calls it) couldn’t come in more proper timing: The 25-year-old TV5 contract artist was selected to grace the pages of Cosmopolitan Philippines’ 69 Hottest Bachelors 2014 insert as one of the Top 10 Centerfolds. As per tradition, he is slated to make his Cosmo Bachelor Bash debut in the corporate-themed “Cosmo Tower … Continue reading The Cosmo Hunk Formerly Known as Gerard Sison
TV5 has added a fresh face to liven up your daily movie-viewing experience. Introducing: VJ Valeen Montenegro! The spunky Tropa Moko Unli mainstay has been selected as the official video jock (or VJ) of the Kapatid Network’s rebranded Tagalized movie block, Movie Max 5. You can now see her every day sharing fun facts and perky commentary before and after each featured blockbuster. Being a movie fan herself, Valeen shared her own diverse preferences: “I like comedy and chick flicks; mga no-brainers. Pero I have days na I wanna think (laughs). Gusto ko rin iyong tipong after the movie, [sasabihin … Continue reading Valeen the Movie Max Vixen
No, this isn’t a lost outtake from The Healing, that Chito Roño horror flick with a not-so-discreet penchant for color coordination. This azure explosion happened last night during the opening of SKK Mobile‘s Metropoint Pasay branch, and Ritz Azul was their celebrity guest. Gotta give this girl props for keeping her radiant disposition intact amidst the horrible payday traffic. Amidst the hustle and bustle of EDSA-Taft, at that. Anyway, the brand name may not ring a bell at this point, but I bet it will soon enough. SKK is deeply committed in its goal “to reach out and provide quality and affordable accessories and mobile phones“. … Continue reading “Azul” being the operative word
Ritz Azul stepped out of the powder room with her usual bubbly demeanor. Given how exuberant she was at that moment, it was hard to believe that she came from taping (on-location, at that). She’d just finished freshening up for her appearance in PLDT Home’s internal launch, held last January 10 at PLDT’s main office in Makati.
She was escorted into one of the boardrooms, where event host Mr. Fu was going through his spiels. The two Kapatid stars exchanged quick besos and the committee immediately began preliminary briefing. At that point, it was explained that the event is held every year to showcase PLDT Home’s expanding line of products and services. Its magnitude would be later on reinforced by the attendan
ce of PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan.
Definition of terms and jargon ensued. Turns out, the name “Technomarine”, mentioned prominently throughout the script, refers to an in-house training program designed to make employees more tech-savvy (Or as the script put it, arm them with the “weapons to win the multimedia revolution”). Fu couldn’t help but quip about its synonymy with the timepiece brand: “Akala ko pa naman may libre tayong watch. Echos!” Ritz chuckled in the sidelines.
* * * * *
Continue reading “Ritz Azul’s Thoughts on the “For Love or Money” Finale”
It was a bright and sunny December morning – which was strange, since we don’t normally associate those adjectives with December. But for Mark Neumann, it was just another day in his increasingly hectic calendar. Nevertheless, the atypical warm weather echoed his mood, and with good reason.
Continue reading “The Schwarm Next Door: Mark Neumann on his most daring role yet”
Vin Abrenica stepped into Nolita that afternoon with an amplified aura of self-fulfilment. He was with Sophie Albert, his love team partner and Artista Academy co-winner, and they just came from a meeting at our Marajo office.
I could only surmise why the 22-year-old Kapatid hunk was being extra giddy that day. Less than 24 hours before that, he made his first appearance at this year’s Cosmo Bachelor Bash, an annual event mounted by Cosmopolitan Philippines to showcase their 69 Hottest Bachelors. This year also marked Vin’s debut in the aforementioned list, and with decent exposure at that. He appears full page, right before the Top 10 Centerfolds.
Continue reading “Vin Abrenica’s Post-Cosmo Bachelor Bash Musings”
Before everything else, let me say it first, just to get rid of the patently obvious: “Wow! 10 years!” It’s actually been 10 years since I graduated high school from La Salle Green Hills, a place I called my second home for 13 years. That’s kindergarten to high school, if you want to delve into specifics. And yes, that’s pretty long for somebody who’s as geographically-displaced as I am. (I live in Paranaque; why I was never sent to Zobel will forever remain shrouded in mystery. So stop asking why I was never sent to Zobel.) Prior to last Saturday, … Continue reading To Greenfinity and Beyond: Tidbits from my first LSGH Alumni Homecoming
Let’s do this again, shall we? Last month marked a highlight in my brief soon-to-be-made-official tenure as an artist relations officer for TV5. I can go on and on about how honored I feel to have been part of this campaign; how it empowered me and gave me the experience I didn’t expect to get. Putting this thing together was no walk in the park. It involved contacting handlers, bargaining with schedules, thoroughly choosing best photos out of hundreds of nearly-identical shots. And that’s only scratching the surface. So when the behind-the-scenes music video started airing last December, it felt like a milestone, … Continue reading Faces of 5: The Music Video (TAKE TWO!!!)
It’s safe to assume that fashion is a foreign concept for perpetual frumps like me. I’d pick comfort over couture any day. But since I support my friends’ endeavors (and free booze), there I was at Prive last Thursday to attend the launch of Gemini, the latest collaboration by Glasnost and Alati. Inspired by the mythology of Castor and Pollux, this summer collection represents the two sides of every woman, namely her “well-mannered graces and untempered passions”. These traits are present in every female, and while they are polar opposites, they are not mutually exclusive. And these are the very traits that … Continue reading Gemini: Another Collaboration by Glasnost + Alati
My film school friends Tess and Vitte tagged me along to Relik, The Fort last night. Just to give a backgrounder, Tess and Vitte have the most awesome shooting gigs. Within the past year, they have done assistant camera work for a number of international productions. Last night was one of their wrap celebrations. Before going there, Tess had already given me the heads up that they’ll be with this female Brazilian model who they worked with in the shoot. It by-passed me at first, knowing that Brazilian models frequent this country anyway. In a few years, Brazilian could be the new … Continue reading Hot Like Laava
It goes without saying that being single is not the worst thing in the world. There are a lot of other means to fulfill yourself other than having a main squeeze. What is Valentine’s Day after all, but a capitalist attempt to part the blissfully partnered from their money and subject the rest of us to gridlocked traffic. Why limit the celebration of love to that orchestrated holiday when you can observe it all year round (Holy crap, that sounded bitter)? But being the Happy Network that we are, we believe that everybody should be happy, every single day (A mindset that … Continue reading A Day of Whines and Roses
Don’t you just wish that escaping sticky, perilous situations was as easy as shooting fireballs and transforming into superhuman beings? Well, here’s a more decent alternative. PXC Commentator, Fight Analyst and MMA champ Erwin Tagle teaches us how to apply mixed martial arts techniques in practical self-defense in this 3-part instructional video series we produced to promote PXC 29. Watch and share! REMINDER: As Mr. Tagle mentioned in the videos, martial arts techniques should only be your last resort. When push comes to shove, your best weapon is still presence of mind. Keep safe all the time! PXC 29 … Continue reading #KungMayMagnanakaw
It’s my birthday. So please excuse this attempt at profundity. When I was 12, I wanted to fast forward to 26. I don’t know why but for some reason back then, it seemed like a cool age to be. I thought I’d be more in control, living on my own. You know, independent. Now that I’m 27, I realized that I’m still no different from that wishful 12-year-old. I’m still overweight, still cartoonishly neurotic, and still trying to figure things out. (Stop me before I start to sound like the 4 Non-Blondes). Not much has changed, really – save for … Continue reading 27
Planet Chuckie 