My Amnesia Girl In SD!

It’s been a while since I’ve looked forward to viewing a good Filipino movie - especially those starring by brilliant actors like John Lloyd Cruz (JLC).

Though some may say that it’s reminiscent of the movie “50 First Dates”, I still think it’s not gonna be another let down because the brilliant chemistry of the leads, JLC and Toni Gonzaga. I never imagined a love team forming between them, but it seems to actually work, and the PDAs are incredibly believable. The “kilig” factor is definitely there!

So essentially the story revolves around 2 individuals in finally finding love in each other - exchanging very cheesy pick up lines, going out on dates - just like how normal young couples do.

There is, however, just this one setback - the leading lady has amnesia and totally forgets who the person she’s dealing with. Now, outstanding the question is left for all: Kung nabubura ang laman ng isipan, nabubura rin kaya ang laman ng puso? (If thoughts can be forgotten or “deleted”, will the heart also forget the feeling?)

Here’s a little clip:


I think it‘s already showing in Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego! I can’t wait for my husband to get on dry land so we can watch this!

Kay Ganda-Ganda...Ko!

What do you guys think of this?

When I first heard of the latest proposed campaign for Philippine tourism, I was really skeptic and asked, "really?" While others thought it sounded like a  "lazy" edition of another brainstorming session, some would assume that the slogan was not thoughtfully considered. I also thought it sounded like a cross-breed of ABS-CBN programs.

From a local perspective, it may work, or that's what I think, at least. But ask if foreigners or other "balikbayans" would agree. I bet most won't. Bad exposure, or poor branding? That's for you to decide.

But when I saw this logo abovejust recently, I thought it wasn't THAT bad for the color representations depict the colorful heritage of the 7,100 islands of the Philippines. The font choice makes it seem that our islands are fun to visit, too. 

But when I saw this...

 Polish Tourism logo

As much as the logo would look enticing enough, it still doesn't look or feel right to publish something that was already used, whether they intentionally knew about this or not.

Why not this instead? lol

To generate your own logo, you have to log in to your Facebook account and and search for the Kay Ganda application.

Don't we all agree of the need to revisit the campaign? My thoughts would be to make our officials reconsider other ideas for the tourism campaign. I'm sure they are working hard towards the goal of having an excellent branding for Philippine tourism, but before releasing half-baked ideas as such, they should have made a much more thorough research so that the people would proudly say that the Philippines is the next best destination of choice. Apart from that, people will laud DOT for a job well done in making use of the people's tax money in an efficient manner.

Let's #HelpDOT shall we?

ABS-CBN Station ID 2010

Christmas Countdown - Christmas Layouts

Ah, yes! Christmas is indeed around the corner, and still widely felt, even if I’m now dwelling overseas.

I really love how ABS-CBN make their Christmas Station IDs (SID). Though the theme revolves centrally about Christmas in the Philippines, they certainly know how to relate with its people.

Last year (2009) was especially heartwarming not only because this was a year the popularization “Santino” and “Bro” were in place, but because we knew we were deeply hurt with the past circumstances that happened in the country. Examples would be the Typhoon Ondoy tragedy and the Maguindanao Massacre. ABS-CBN was able to send out the message of hope with “Bro” as the Star of Christmas. It was also arranged by Marcus and Amber Davis.

Star Ng Pasko (2009)

Recording sessions:

The concept of the video itself was totally changed, following the Ondoy tragedy as its centralized theme. But then again, it was not a total mess, and it sent out a compelling message to all Filipinos across the world and up to now, more people would opt to listen to this jingle for the holidays.

And here’s the 2010 Station ID:

I notice that a lot of the ABS-CBN stars were not in the video -- personalities like Kris Aquino, Karen Davila (because of her leaving TV Patrol?), Sarah Geronimo, and Charice just to name some. I don’t really mind because the music video was still likewise touching in its own right.

And yes, the message is still being carried out in this year’s SID, but with positivism as the main idea/theme. I have mentioned this in FB already, but I want to say it again. ABS-CBN never fails to give me the shivers or goosebumps (in a nice way). And it gives each Filipino, local or overseas, that warm glow inside with the anticipation of the birth of our Savior.

image: assets.gearlive.com

TV (and Music) Just Got Excited

Well it’s obvious that there’s nothing better for me to do but to expose myself in glorious radiation during my idle periods as I await my impending departure. I even have the timeline to show. 

But going back, TVs been my constant partner (aside from my laptop) since getting out of the workforce. I have come to love a lot of foreign programs available, and thanks to the Digibox Technology of Sky Cable (shameless plug). My cultural appreciation from TV became even wider than my travel experiences. I have come to love not just top-rated US shows, but also Asian counterparts like Korea, Japan and Australia (thank you, KBS, NHK and Australian Channel, another shameless plug).

Growing up in the MTV or Channel V generation, we have been introduced to music videos, which makes a lot of us appreciate music even more. They say, "the fiercer, the better", as eccentric ones have emerged -- from Bjork to Gaga. But when music videos and variety shows simply weren't enough to meet an average viewer's attention anymore, programs have been created that revolves on music to show a brand new appreciation to it. Well, these may not be new though, but they at least give viewers excellent choices.

So with this, I am so glad that TV got this much interesting that I even have to blog randomly about some TV highlights (well, highlights for me, at least).

Glee (2nd half)

Finally, the kids from McKinley High have emerged from the dead (for 3 months, at least), and the gleeKs have combined forces once again. It wasn’t that long ago when I saw status messages on my friends on FB, who have been watching Season 1 to catch up and find out what the fuss was about.

But welcome back everyone! It’s Glee fever again. 

Anyway, I was glad that the long wait has finally ended, and Sue Sylvester was the perfect tease to get the men (and the ladies) all excited, worked up (eh, not really) and disturbed at the same time.

The first ep did not really meet my expectations. After all, a story should start from something mediocre, then builds up through the next seasons. I should know (as if!). But I’m not saying it was THAT mediocre, as it‘s much better than the first episode of Season 1. It was just overrated, I suppose and probably, because of the long wait. The fabulous teaser could have helped out with that.

I can’t wait to see the “New Directions” in Regionals gear up with rivals like “Vocal Adrenaline”, as well as seeing what Sue Sylvester’s brewing against Will. 

American Idol (Season 9)

So finally, Katie Stevens got the boot.

Don’t get catty at me Katie followers, but I think it’s just about time. It was even more shocking that Didi Benami (or even Lilly Scott) got eliminated before her. But it was unfortunate to see her go despite huge improvements in her recent performances, and votes weren’t that enough to save her, not that judges would actually “save” her in case they still had the option to. 

I guess charms ain’t gonna cut it.

As for Andrew Garcia, “Hound Dog” wasn’t really a lucky song for him. We’ll sure miss him, even if he could be boring at times (I sound like Simon now).

Oh, and Richard Poon still looked adorable singing a jazzified (standard) version of Avril Lavigne’s "Complicated" at ABS-CBN's Music Uplate Live, a late night program that replaced PBB Uplate. I don't have the actual clip when he actually performed "Complicated" in this show, but here's one from  the RX Concert Series. Man, I begin to appreciate the Standards, not that I really haven't!

Now how random is that!

A Quick Halalan 101 Lesson

First time voters -- (and with this I mean ALL voters), we only have 41 days to go before the 2010 Halalan (Elections) kicks in.

All will be voting for the first time (literally) for the automated poll elections. If we think we already KNOW what we’re supposed to do, think again. We wouldn’t want to screw up just because we THOUGHT we knew.

This is why it is important to be as informed as we can to avoid any possibility of ruining our chances to vote -- remember, we can only do this once, so it’s better that we actually know what to expect come May 2010.

Aside from showing you a quick tutorial on voting, you may want to consider other channels in getting as much information as you can about the 2010 Philippine Elections. An excellent resource now is made available thanks to ABS-CBN, through their Halalan 101 website.

Sample Ballot

Aside from the information posted, you can “practice vote" on an online ballot.

The site also has a very elaborate FAQ section, and easy to understand video tutorials. Online users can also participate in both the “live chat” function and discussion forum, also on the site. 

How are your election preparations going so far? Please feel free to share.

Presidential Credentials

As the song goes, "there's no business like show business", you may also say the same thing about Philippine politics.

With only less than 2 months to spare, we really should be creating our own list of candidates so that we wouldn't be confused on "shading" that ballot with a looooong list of names. Because if we make a mistake, then our vote would be totally wasted.

Other than making a list, we should consider the background of our presidential candidates. I have found a reference table (probably made by a Gordon fan.lol), that would supposedly help us know more about them aside from the things they overly sugarcoat on infomercials. I got the pic from Facebook, fyi. Just click on the image to enlarge.

Also, Mock Elections were held at the University of the Philippines (UP) campuses dubbed as "Boto ng Iskolar ng Bayan" spearheaded by the UP Alpha Sigma Fraternity. With 8,000+ respondents in 25 UP colleges, here were the results:

President:
(1) Manny Villar, 28.94%
(2) Noynoy Aquino, 19.02%
(3) Richard Gordon, 13.42%
(4) Gilbert Teodoro, 5.91%
(5) ABSTAIN, 1.74%
(6) Estrada 0.52%
(7) Madrigal 0.39%
(8) Delos Reyes 0.28%
(9) Villanueva 0.1063%
(10) Perlas 0.05%

Vice President:
(1) Mar Roxas, 30.11%
(2) Bayani Fernando, 11.71%
(3) Jejomar Binay, 8.74%
(4) ABSTAIN, 8.35%
(5) Loren Legarda, 6.35%
(6) Pefecto Yasay, 1.21%
(7) Jay Sonza, 0.77%
(8) Dominador Chipeco, 0.31%

Source: ABS-CBN

On Sunday (03.08.10), ABS-CBN will host another debate called "Harapan". This time, the President and Vice President aspirants will showcase their chemistry and teamwork, will convince the people why their match-up is better than the other, and why they deserved to be put in higher office. This can also be participated by a live audience, chatters, bloggers, texters and random people at random parts of the nation via audience response technology provided during the event.

So mark this Sunday's simulcast on Studio 23, ANC and TFC (10 PM Philippine Standard Time). You can also watch it live via streaming at: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/harapan. I'm sure it'll be as interesting as the previous forums.

What's the latest buzz??? THE BUZZ!

I know. Tsismosa!

I rarely blog about showbiz, but can't help it! It's a form of entertainment aside from the Korean drama series I watch at KBS. Yes, allow me to indulge myself here.

Anyway, watching The Buzz this afternoon, I had a chance to see Ruffa(R) in her fab gown today. I think she had to wear it because it sort of felt like her graceful exit from ABS-CBN. 

March 7, 2010 episode

Everything was going well and in fact, I didn't even notice Kris(K) bullying R during this time. They even joked about moving to the new network where it's happier to be with them on the program, while R told K not to rub it in, then the tearful R just walked out when they prompted for a commercial break. Knowing K  for being tactless, and R took it pretty hard, this then sparked the so called fight.

Here, by the way, was the POV segment before everything heated up (thanks Karen =) ).

Everything was running normally on The Buzz, until I read this tweet from @djmotwister stating "just heard Ruffa Gutierrez walked out of the Buzz in tears cuz Kris Aquinos attitude prob. she was being rude bout Ruffa going go tv5. Sucks". OMG, R, crying?

That's when I tried to glue my attention now to the tube, switching from StarTalk and The Buzz.

Chismosa! lol

Anyway, when I switched to The Buzz, R wasn't there anymore as Boy(B) and K were interviewing K's hubby James Yap on his recent achievement(s), and baby James. I really wasn't paying that much attention to the scene since I was switching from station to station. StarTalk host Raymond Gutierrez was already telling the audience that at StarTalk, all colleagues love each other and that he'd not do anything to make anyone cry. 

Then they announced that they would be having Annabelle Rama, R's mom, to give a comment via phone.

Here's the phone interview of R's mom:

Apparently, K has been interrupting R during here supposedly "farewell" speech, which may appear to have been a form of "pambabara". She even told the people the reason now for not voting Noynoy. I can really understand a mother's frustration over her kid being bullied by some brat, but blowing it out of proportion by telling people not to vote for Noynoy? Oh well, real emotions do come out when upset, but it sure is not right to involve other people.

For now, R (@iloveruffag) and K (@itsmekrisaquino) have been posting comments via twitter. To read the full story, click here. 

That graceful exit of R turned into a juicy controversy that got the people talking for the rest of the night! This may go on for at least maybe a week?