Once again ABS-CBN held it's annual Starmagic Ball attended by Kapamilya stars and other celebrities including 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach, held at Shanri-La The Fort, Taguig City. This year, the ball will benefit the "Bantay Edukasyon" program of Banta Bata 163, which airm to grant scholarships to children in need and celebrities wore Filipiniana inspired dress and barong
Richard Gutierrez and Bea Alonzo were named Best Dressed of the Night. Bea wore a single sleeve modernized black lace terno with slit designed by Jun Escario while Richard wore a Barong Taggalog with modern twist. Richard and partner Sarah Labhati were named Couple of the Night. Other winners were chosen by sponsors.
Other stunners were Liza Soberano, Kathryn Bernardo (who wore a Michael Cinco gown), and Julia Barretto. .The LGBT community were represented by Vice Ganda and teen gay youtube sensation Aura Briguela. Vice wore two outrageous outfits but didn't get much attention. Another youtube star and ex-PBB housemate Fumiya Sankai wore a Japanese inspired barong.
Netizens and ssome sites chose Liza Soberano and Kathryn Bernardo as the best dressed for female while Francis Magundayao and Johsua Garcia are among the best dressed male celebrities.
Photos courtesy of ABS-CBN, Mega Magazine and Rappler.com.
#ABSCBNBall2019
The controversial issue resurfaced when Gretchen Custodia Diez, a transgender woman who was prevented by a janitress from using women’s restroom in a Cubao mall in Quezon City. Diez took a video of the encounter which enraged the janitress who dragged her to the security room. Diez was detained by the cops, handcuffed and shamed. Diez says "I didn't think that I will be treated like a criminal." The incident went viral and the transwoman was asked to air her side at the Senate and issued a statement urging President Duterte pass the SOGIE Equality bill.
“Mister President, naumpisahan na natin. Sana ipagpatuloy na natin ang pagpapasa sa SOGIE equality bill (Mister President, we already started it. I hope we follow through with the passage of the SOGIE equality bill),” Diez said in a press briefing at the Quezon City Hall.
Senate President Vicente Sotto II AKA Tito Sotto issued his stand on the COGIE Bill which draws mixed reactions from Netizens.
"If you are a
man, you will never be a woman, no matter what you do, because you cannot
reproduce. You cannot give birth, you do not have ovaries. You will never be a
woman. So this, to me, the SOGIE Bill is a bill against women's rights." –
Senator Tito Sotto
TV-Host and Unkabogable Gay Superstar Vice Ganda posted on his IG his response to Senator Sotto’s rants against
transwomen and this is what he had to say:
Joke po ba ito Hon. Senate President Tito Sotto ??? Sinasabi nyo po ba na
naniniwala kayo na ang pagiging BABAE ay nasusukat lamang sa pagkakaroon ng
obaryo o matris at sa kakayahan lang na mabuntis o magka-anak? E paano po yung
mga nagkaroon ng matinding karamdaman at tinanggalan ng obaryo? Di na po ba
sila BABAE? Wala na ba silang karapatang tawaging BABAE? O bumaba na ba ang uri
ng kanilang PAGKAKABABAE? Paano din po yung mga baog at walang kakayahang
magka-anak? Ano po sila? Di na din sila BABAE? Mga wala na ba silang kwentang
mga BABAE? At paano naman po yung mga BABAENG choice nila na wag mag-anak dahil
ayaw nila dahil sa kanilang mga personal na rason? Di na din ba sila matatawag
na BABAE? Paano din po yung mga BABAE na may obaryo pero pinayuhang wag magbuntis
dahil sa medikal na kondisyon at maaring mameligro ang kanilang buhay? Di na
din sila BABAE? Ano na po sila? Paano din po yung mga BABAENG may obaryo pero
wala pang anak dahil ayaw naman nilang magpatira kung kani kanino? Ano na sila?
Parang ang baba naman po pala ng tingin nyo sa mga BABAE. Naniniwala po ako na
ang mga BABAE ay BABAE di dahil sa obaryo at sa kakayahang bumukaka at umire.
Sila ay BABAE dahil sila ay BABAE. At MAY HALAGA sila may matris man o wala,
magbuntis man o hindi,may anak man o wala dahil sila ay ay TAO at sila ay
BABAE. Sinubukan ninyong maliitin ang konsepto ng pagiging TRANSGENDER sa
paraang tinapakan nyo rin ang dignidad ng mga tinatawag nyong TOTOONG BABAE.
Paumanhin po HON. SENATE PRESIDENT."
ARE FILIPINOS READY FOR
SOGIE BILL?
SOGIE is an acronym for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and
Expression Equality Bill.The SOGIE BILL is also known as the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB). Accordingly,
the bill was first filed in 2000 by the late Senator Defensor Santiago and
former Akbayan Party-List Represetative Etta Rosales. The bill passed the 3rd reading in
the House of Representatives but stalled in the Senate. Similar measures were filed by other Senators
in the 15th and 16th congresses which failed to see progress.[3] The bill was re-filed by Defensor-Santiago in every
congressional period in the Senate until the end of her last term in 2016. The
counterpart bill in the House was also filed continuously by the
representatives of Akbayan party-list.
It is intended to prevent
various economic and public accommodation-related acts of discrimination against
people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.[1] The current versions of the bill are championed by Kaka
Bag-ao, Geraldine
Roman, and Tom Villarin in the House of Representatives, and Risa
Hontiveros in the Senate. The version in the House of
Representative passed its third reading most recently on September 20, 2017,
but died in the Senate.[2] It has been refiled for the 18th Congress.
After 5 box-office flops in a row, Viva Films hit it right this time with its latest offering “Just a Stranger” grossing over Php 12M on its opening day.I watched the movie yesterday at Mega Mall, and the 6:45 pm screening in Cinema 2 was well attended with more than half of the seats occupied and it was also
shown in another theater in the same mall.
The May-December affair of Mae (Anne Curtis) and Jekjek (Marco Gumabao) may be a cliché but it's treated with a different narrative twist and is interesting enough plus the fact that it stars Anne Curtis, one of the best actresses of her generation and of course the new sex symbol in town Marco Gumabao. Apparently it was Marco himself who suggested to the director to show his butt onscreen.
The film starts with Mae confessing to a priest about her dark past and that she had an affair with a young man twice her age). Mae is married to a rich businessman (played by Edu Manzano) who's more focused with his business interests and leaves Mae bored. The middle part of the movie is a bit "slow paced," in contrast to its catchy trailer and aggressive promotional gimmick, capitalizing the steamy hot love scenes of the two lead
stars. The movie came up with a good start showing scenes shot in Lisbon, Portugal (where the two protagonists first met) but things gets a bit slow and dragging during the middle part of the story that stretched nearly 2 hours of screen time.
Nagkabuhay buhay na lang when Anne started going crazy, got drunk in the bar and confronted Jekjek who prefered to hide their relationship from his parents and his girlfriend. Karamihan ng mga nanood ay mga galing sa work, some came in groups at ang dami rin mga kalalakihan for obvious reasons. Excited sila manood pero parang kulang ng energy specially sa kalagitnaan.Even the scene wherein Marco was beaten by 3 gangsters walang kabuhay buhay.
Marco Gumabao has all
the potentials of becoming the next important leading man however he needs to work on his voice to add depth in his acting. The sexy love scenes are provocative enough to stir moviegoer's interest and there' a lot of "F" words and swearing in the movie, thus it merited a R-16 rating by MRTCB. If I am not mistaken there has not been sex-drama movies for quite sometime now. Things could have been dynamic without the minor flaws and inappropriate musical score, however the soundtrack played at the end of the movie paid off and adds flair and angst to the movie. Anne Curtis did a monologue towards the end of the movie, freaking out, blaming Jekjek’s parents and
swearing right inside the church that stunned the priest and Jekjek's relativesThe
movie ends with quite a cinematic scene with Mae (Anne) slowly walking out of
the church being followed by Jekjek’s girlfriend asking Mae's identity. Mae simply replied "I am just a stranger." On this note, it is safe to say that Anne’s
stellar performance saves the movie.
They're saying the local movie industry is a dying industry and so far this year, only four local films crossed the P100 million benchmark and all but produced by Star Cinema and it's subsidiary film outfits. Viva and Regal Films are still active but more often than not, only a few of their films do well at the box-office and likewise independent filmmakers continue to suffer with limited theater runs due to poor ticket sales.
Given the scenario, Star Cinema manages to beat the odds and comes up with a blockbuster film after another and the latest is a monster hit "Hello, Love, Goodbye." The Alden Richards and Kathryn Bernardo starrer grossed P603,015,830 in less than three weeks and the movie also premiered in various key cities in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and some Asian countries and is doing very well as expected and posted $2,132,000 to date.
Back to HLG, the movie received decent reviews citing the feel good vibes and charisma it brings to the moviegoers. Long queues filled ticket booths despite the bad weather when it opened three weeks ago and it even beat Hollywood big budget movie "Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw."
HLG, set in Hong Kong, is the story of Joy and Ethan, Joy works as a domestic helper and has only a few months to stay in Hong Kong legally. Her employer planned to terminate her as she could no longer afford to pay her but Joy bargained and agreed to be paid just half of her salary as she needs to stay in Hongkong to facilitate her plans to move to Canada. To bolster her earnings she works part time illegally and hides from police authorities and it was Ethan who saved her when was on the run. The romantic angle is cute and all and the story thickens when it was time for Joy to move to Canada. Ethan asks "kung mahal mo ako bakit hindi ako ang piliin mo?" Joy replied with "Kung mahal mo ako, bakit pinapapili mo ako?" This "hugot" line has become so popular and various memes have surfaced online.
HLG is not just about the story of Ethan and Joy but it also captures the struggles of OFW, working abroad to support their families back home. The director succeeded in all aspects, capturing the feel good vibes and both Richards and Bernardo gave decent performances, ably supported by competent ensemble cast. Another factor that contributes to the movie's success is the unusual team up of Richards and Bernard, who both comes from two perennial rival networks in the country.
The movie, now on its third week, continues to draw crowds beating other local films that opened last week including Hollywood movies. Viva Films "Indak" starring Nadine Lustre suffered miserably at the box-office and some says it's outdated and wrong project as "dance movies" don't sell to local audience. "Just A Stranger" starring Anne Curtis and Marco Gumabao is due for release next week and receives positive feedbacks and it looks like Viva Films will hit it right this time.
With the current technological change and the coming of digital age, people are face with so many options. There are digital platforms where one can watch movies at home and do not have to go out and endure heavy traffic. Filmmakers should carefully set their goals and target their market and not make a movie that is just as good as a TV episode wheren one can watch for free.
24 year old Cebuano model Jin Macapagal bagged the first Ultimate Bidaman title, held last night at the New Frontier Theater. Dubbed as "The Big Break," Bidaman is a reality talent search contest segment of ABS-CBN noontime show "It's Showtime." The show began with each contestant introducing themselves ala-Miss Universe shouting their name, age and province of origin before an enthusiastic crowd and screaming fans.
Jin’s showbiz journey started 3 years ago when he joined “Pinoy
Boy Band Superstar,” the local franchise of “La Banda," and athough he failed to make it to the Top 12, it did not stop him from pursuing his showbiz dream.
Jin easily made his presence felt during the early round of competition and wowed the audience as he displayed high energy and confidence dancing to a Justine Timberlake song. For the final round, each
top 3 finalist was asked to deliver a monologue they had written themselves. Macapagal narrated how he struggled and overcome
his problems involving his family and delivered it with depth which came out
naturally.
Part of Jin's prizes includes a management contract, a house and lot, a brand new pick up vehicle, and a cool One Million Pesos cash prize.In addition, he will also get the chance to be included in the cast of Vice Ganda's entry to 2019 MMFF.
2nd to Jin Macapagal is Eris Aragoza, 23, from Binangonan
Rizal and third place is Jiro Custodio, 22, from Gapan, Nueva Ecija. Both Eris and Jiro were crowd favorites with a bunch of supporters in the audience.
The criteria for judging includes looks and personality,
acting ability and Bidaman should have the complete package spotted with potentials in the entertainment field.
Some says the inclusion of Dan Delgado and Yuki Sakamoto in the Top 6 were quite a surprise as there were other strong contenders particularly Nathan Garcia and Miko Gallardo.
Top 6:
Jin Macapagal, Eris Aragoza, Jiro Custodio
Yuki Sakamoto,Dan
Delgado and Ron Macapagal
Special Awards:
Bida Smile:Wize
Estabilo
Bida Bod:Jervy de
los Reyes
BidaBilidad –
Jay Dizon
Bida Bro: Johannes Rissler
Top 12
Nathan Garcia (Cavite), Ron Macapagal (Malate, Manila),
Polo Laurel (Pasay), Dan Delgado (Mandaluyong),Eris Aragoza (Rizal), Jiro Custodio (Nueva Ecija), Wize Estabilo
(Tarlac),Yuki Sakamoto (Taguig),Jervy de los Reyes (Plaridel, Bulacan),Jin Macapagal (Cebu), Miko Gallardo
(Palawan) andJohn Padilla (Olongapo).
The Film Development Council of the Philippines, spearheaded by Chairwoman Liza Diño announced that Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino will take place from September 13 to 19. This year's edition will feature seven films and three other films that are part of PPP Sandaan Showcase in commemoration of 100 years of Philippine Cinema.
Here is the full list of 10 Feature Films for the 3rd edition of Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino:
1) CUDDLE WEATHER
Director: Rod Marmol
Production: Project 8 corner San Joaquin and Regal Entertainment
Logline:
After realizing that prostitutes are not entitled to the best part of love making, two sex workers form a screwy relationship as 'cuddle partners' only to realize that they want something more.
2) THE PANTI SISTERS
Director: Jun Robles Lana
Production: The Ideafirst Company, Blacksheep and ALV films
Logline:
Three gay sons are called back by their estranged and terminally-ill father and given an offer they can’t refuse: a P300 million inheritance in exchange for each of them giving him a grandchild.
3) G! Director: Dondon Santos Production: Cineko Productions Logline: A series of good times, bad times, cherished bonding moments which will make them all realize the value of love, friendship, family and life.
4) WATCH ME KILL Director: Tyrone Acierto Production: CineBandits Entertainment Logline: A ruthless assassin’s plan is interrupted when she discovers that the man she needs to kill has more to hide than expected. Her life unravels as she must juggle her new priorities with her inner demons. Set in a world where violence rules over virtue, she must face the hardest reality -- is she the real danger or the monsters that control the criminal underworld?
5) PAGBALIK Director: Hubert Tibi and Maria S. Ranillo Production: Nuances Entertainment Productions & PRO. PRO Log line: A trouble OFW is forced to return home and come to terms with the family she left behind.
6) LSS (LAST SONG SYNDROME Director: Jade Castro Production: Produced by Globe Studios in association with Dokimos Media Studios Inc. and Ben&Ben Logline: Sara and Zak, an aspiring musician and a yearning son find themselves in a series of almost-but-not-quite romantic encounters as they follow an upcoming indie-folk band. The two are struggling dreamers in their 20s who discover what it means to grow up as they experience the joy and pain of love and loss accompanied by the music of Ben & Ben.
7) I’M ELLENYA L. Director: Boy 2 Quizon Production: Spring films, N2 Productions and Cobalt Entertainment Logline: Ellenya’s life revolves around social media just like a typical millennial; seeking validation from the online society. With aspirations of being a big influencer and vlogger, she chases her dreams by creating a persona and content with the help of her family and friends. Will Ellenya earn online fame or will she be an epic fail?
8) CIRCA Writer/Director: Adolfo Borinaga Alix, Jr. Cast: Anita Linda, Gina Alajar, Laurice Guillen, Jaclyn Jose, Elizabeth Oropesa, Ricky Davao, Enchong Dee with the special participation of Eddie Garcia
Production Company: ABAJ Film Productions, Noble Wolf, Swift Productions, RSVP
9) LOLA IGNA Director: Eduardo Roy Jr.
Production: Found Films and EMBA Production Logline: Lola Igna is a foul-mouthed and stubborn woman who is eager to die but her neighbors are hung up on her winning the title “the oldest living grandmother in the world.” Her long lost great-great-grandson, Tim, is an aspiring Vlogger who wants to latch on to her now-famous grandma but ends up giving her a new reason to live
10) OPEN Director: Andoy Ranay Production: T-Rex Entertainment and Blacksheep
Logline: Rome and Ethan have been together for 14 years. He is the love of her life, and she is his number one supporter. They are each other’s firsts, and to their friends, they are the perfect couple. When the two begin to feel that their relationship has gone stale, they explore the idea of going open. It’s something Ethan wants to do, and it’s the only way Rome feels she can keep her man. They agree that they are allowed to have sex with strangers, but they are not allowed to fall in love. In a relationship built over time, the two begin to “explore” expecting to salvage the exact same thing they are giving up. In the end, they learn the importance of the very thing they have been blind to -- a relationship without trust will eventually crumble.
Stars come and go and as popular teen heartthrobs are starting to play mature roles, there's a need to look for new ones to play roles vacated by them. The country's young superstars like Daniel Padilla, James Reid, Alden Richards and Enrique Gil are already in their late 20's and their "pa-tweetums" and teeny-bopper days are over however, they remain big stars of today.
One candidate who might just be the next big thing in local showbiz is Seth Fedelin, This might be an overstatement but for now, the 16 year old is getting a lot of attention from his mother network and had him inked a two year contract, something that does not usually happen for a newbie.
Seth Fedelin was part of the PBB teen housemates a few months ago but was evicted from Big Brother's house. He started to get noticed when he appeared in the top rated afternoon drama "Kadenang Ginto." Seth is paired with Andrea Brillantes where he plays "Mikoy" and the two seems to have a perfect chemistry on screen and brings "kilig" to viewers of the popular teleserye.
Seth is often compared to Daniel Padilla and James Reid. They say he talks like Daniel and looks like James. His good looks and bubbly personality are what makes this 16 year old lad from Cavite even more charming. He said in an interview that he is "laking kalye" which means that he grew up just like ordinary kids playing on the street and hanging out with friends.
The newbie actor is is closer to realizing his dreams. Seth just inked a 2 year contract with ABS-CBN, way ahead from his peers at PBB. He recently launched an album together with "The Gold Squad" composed of Andrea Brillantes, Francine Diaz and Kyle Echarri who are all his co- stars in "Kadenang Ginto."
ABS-CBN Entertainment YouTube channel recently posted in their vlog titled "10 Times Seth Fedelin proved he is one of the rising stars of his generation.
The Top 12 finalists for Idol Philippines were revealed last Sunday after grueling elimination rounds over the past weeks. Six boys and 6 girls were chosen from the Top 20.
The Top 12 will perform live on June 29 and they will be singing songs of National Artist (for Music) Ryan Cayabyab.
The exclusion of Roque Benilo in the top 12 draws mixed reactions from fans and it even trended on twitter at no. 4. Many says he chose the wrong song and it didn't show his strength as as singer. He should have picked a country-rock song similar to the one he performed in his audition.
There was no mention if there would be a wild card selection.
The Top 20 for Idol Philippines search have been revealed
following an intense week of competition during “The Group” and “Do or Die” rounds,
participated by 69 hopefuls. From 69, they were trimmed town to 39 and the top 20 advances to the next round which is
the “Solo” round.
The Top 20 are:
Charmagne
Algario (Bulacan)
Lance Busa (Agusan Del Norte)
Dan Ombao (Bataan)
Lucas Garcia (Lipa, Batangas)
Denize Castillo (Cavite)
Matty Juniosa (Mandaluyong)
Elle Ocampo (Pampanga)
Michelle Primavera (Caloocan City)
Enzo Almario (Sta. Maria, Bulacan)
Miguel Ordon (California, USA)
Fatima Louise Lagueras (Quezon City)
Renwick Benito (Angeles City, Pampanga)
Jasper Lacson (Sorsogon City)
Roque Belino (Baguio City)
Jehramae Trangia (Talisay City, Cebu)
Sheland Faelnar (Caloocan City)
Jeremiah Torayno (Cagayan de Oro)
Trish Bonilla (Lucena City)
Rachel May Libres (Pasay City)
Zephanie Dimaranan, (Biñan, Laguna)
LGBT community is well represented with at least 5 of them made
the top 20 cut. They are Jeremiah Torayno, Enzo Almario , Elle Ocampo, Matty
Juniosa and Lucas Garcia and all of them openly admitted their gender identity
during the auditions. Jeremiah Torayno , who considers himself as a
trans-woman, competed in the female group instead of joining the male group in the
“do-or-die” round.
Arnel Pineda’s son (Angelo Pineda) was eliminated in the group
round while Charice’s ex-girlfriend Alyssa Quijano and GMA talent Kier King
managed to advance to the “do-or-die” round but failed to advance to the top
20.
Vice Ganda was quoted saying that his main criteria for judging
is a combination of looks, talent and personality.
The top 20 will compete in the :solo” round and from there the
top 12 will be chosen and will get the chance to compete in the live
performance.
Once again ABS-CBN held it's annual Starmagic Ball attended by Kapamilya stars and other celebrities including 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach, held at Shanri-La The Fort, Taguig City. This year, the ball will benefit the "Bantay Edukasyon" program of Banta Bata 163, which airm to grant scholarships to children in need and celebrities wore Filipiniana inspired dress and barong
Other stunners were Liza Soberano, Kathryn Bernardo (who wore a Michael Cinco gown), and Julia Barretto. .The LGBT community were represented by Vice Ganda and teen gay youtube sensation Aura Briguela. Vice wore two outrageous outfits but didn't get much attention. Another youtube star and ex-PBB housemate Fumiya Sankai wore a Japanese inspired barong. 
