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There have been notable transformations for a single role in the past decades. Who would forget Robert DeNiro’s stint when he inflated his body for his role in Raging Bull? Vincent D’Onofrio even set a Guiness World Record for the most weight gained for a single film role for his mind-blowing presence in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket.

Contemporary actors, however, will not be left behind. In fact, in recent years, we have seen celebrities shed off their glamorous skin and almost magically transform to give life to some of cinema’s most unforgettable characters. Here is a list of the top 9 most amazing celebrity transformations that rocked Hollywood in the past 10 years.

9. Renee Zellweger, Cold Mountain (2003)

Although starring opposite the ravishing Nicole Kidman will surely make anyone look “unpretty,” Renee Zellweger surely has the spotlight all on her in Cold Mountain. Fortunately for Renee, she has a more interesting role to play — a boyish country girl who never runs out of spirit and humor. After losing an Oscar (also to Nicole) the year before, she came back with a vengeance, winning her much-deserved, first Oscar for this role. She mastered every twist and turn of a farmer’s daughter, who is full of spunk and energy that you wouldn’t think she was that jazz-singing murderess in the hit musical Chicago. Transformation is not really a stranger to Renee as we have seen her gain lots of baby fats like a sack of french fries for her portrayal of Bridget Jones.

8. Edward Norton, American History X (1998)

As if his good looks aren’t impressive enough, Edward Norton takes everyone’s breath away with his intense acting skills. He surely showcased this in American History X, where he played a white supremacist. One of the scariest transformations to date, Edward gained more than 30 pounds before filming. As he ate a lot, he made sure the gym was his second home for his desired toned look. Like many other transformations, this schoolboy-looking wonder was able to transcend the physical by owning the character. This performance earned him his second Oscar nomination.

7. Nicole Kidman, The Hours (2002)

Many people think that it was all in the nose. The truth is, Nicole Kidman’s highly depressing performance is more than that. The nose just added to the character that Nicole had already created for The Hours. Yes, Nicole had to say goodbye to her doctor-that’s-what-I-want nose and wore a scarily large nose plus additional makeup to look like the famed writer Virginia Woolf. But even without it, she would still have won that Oscar. Her performance is beyond the physical. She perfected the accent, gestures and the overall character of an incestuous, insane genius. The result is a performance as beautiful as she is.

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Not so many people know that Leona Lewis’s massive worldwide hit Bleeding Love is actually written by OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder and *surprise, surprise* Jesse McCartney. Yes, Beautiful Soul Jesse McCartney. That’s him.

Who would have thought? Whenever I share this trivia with my friends, they give me a where-did-you-get-that-crap-from look. Most of the time, they believe the Ryan Tedder part of the story but they just can’t buy the fact that Jessemac co-wrote it. That’s sad, really. I’m a Jessemac fan. He’s hot and talented and I have a copy of his two albums. Hehe.

Bleeding Love was originally intended for Jesse’s third album Departure (to be released on May 20). When Clive Davis heard it, he was so impressed but he wanted the track to be the carrier single of Leona’s album Spirit. He and Simon Cowell just knew that the song could make it big for Leona. And man, did that song make it big for Leona! Number 1 in 28 countries and last year’s Record of the Year in the UK. I looove Leona.

Here’s the thing. When songwriters create songs for a label, they generally need someone to sing the track to give the producers an idea of how it would sound. Well, Jesse did the same. Here’s a snippet of how the track would have sounded like had Jesse performed it.

NOT BAD! I have to admit, though, that Leona’s version is better by a lightyear. The song just suits a female voice better and is just PERFECT for Leona. But hey, I still dig Jessemac’s version. And I mean it.

I’m just a disappointed that since this snippet has somewhat leaked, it seems to me that the label (or whoever) is trying to take down all the youtube videos of Jessemac’s version. Aaaargh. I hope they would leave this one alone. Well, anyway, the full version is said to be included to the Departure album but only those released in Australia and Japan. Aaargh.

Status: Asthmatic.
Music: All My Loving - The Beatles

Remakes are Philippine television’s new trend. Be it a local movie, a Latin American telenovela or an Asian series — name it — as long as it’s appealing, either ABS-CBN2 or GMA7 will pick it up, lay it on the table and turn it into something horrible. Well, not always.

I don’t know where I stand exactly on this. These remakes may not be very healthful for our media industries — I mean, come on, we can come up with something brilliantly original. In fact, we already have — but hey, it’s really interesting to anticipate how they will improve or mess up the original concept. The most exciting part on the part of the viewers is to see if the new cast can actually match that of the original.

Here are some of the remakes yet to hit our boobtubes and the rumored actors / actresses to play the lead roles, along with my comments and suggestions.

…

RUBI (ABS-CBN)

Country of Origin: Mexico
Plot: Rubí is a beautiful, charismatic young woman from a working-class background. She is studying at a university because of her sister’s great efforts. Rubí is best friends with Maribel, a wealthy young woman with a small defect in her leg. Rubí eventually meets Maribel’s boyfriend Hector and his best friend Alejandro. A much darker truth lies inside of Rubí. She is driven by a dark ambition that will stop at nothing to get what she wants, and what she wants is to escape from poverty and be wealthy.

Who? Who? Who?

They say: Angelica Panganiban, Wendy Valdez, Alessandra de Rossi

I say: Kristine Hermosa. Angelica or Alex would be great, too, but I can really imagine Kristine Hermosa as Rubi, ang bidang kontrabida. Kristine has been typecast as a naive poor girl whose face is always mistaken for a kitchen sink by her antagonists. It’s time for the vengeance of the century and a career makeover. But puhleaze, more acting workshops for her! But heck, she’s so right for this role. I’m more excited to see this one than Betty La Fea.

…

MY GIRL (ABS-CBN)

Country of origin: South Korea
Plot: Jasmine is an imposter, proficient in English, Chinese, and Japanese, while Julian is the second generation heir of a big corporation. Because of his grandfather’s illness, he is forced to ask Jasmine to act as his long-lost cousin so that his grandfather’s last wish can be fulfilled. Therefore, they are both bound in a lie so that no-one in the family knows the truth.

Who? Who? Who?

They say: Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson

I say: Maja Salvador or Toni Gonzaga. I like Kim but I just wish she could act. Maja and Toni act a whole lot better and I’m sure either could pull off a swindler role. If their only basis for casting Kim is that she’s chinita (thus matching the Oriental cheverness of the project), come on, that’s so shallow. But then again, Kimerald has a massive fan base. Ratings matter.

For Julian, I really think that Zanjoe Marudo is the top man for the job. Sam Milby would be good, too. Hey, Julian’s character doesn’t really require much acting.

…

YO SOY BETTY, LA FEA (ABS-CBN)

Country of Origin: Colombia
Plot: Although Betty graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s of Economy and has a Master’s degree in Finance, and speaks both English and French fluently, she has been unable to secure an interview in any job because, as she claims, her ugly picture ruins her otherwise impressive resume. Tired of her unsuccessful search for a job that would match her education and experience, she decides to apply for a job as secretary to the president of a fashion design company called Eco Moda.

Who? Who? Who?

They say: Regine Velasquez, Sarah Geronimo, KC Concepcion or Bea Alonzo

I say: Bea Alonzo. Regine is too old. Sarah is too young. KC is too rich (hehehe). Besides, an “ugly” role is no stranger to Bea. She portrayed Katrina Argos, an unattractive geek, on Kaytagal Kang Hinintay, albeit for a very short period. (Katrina bloomed eventually into a beautiful law student.) Bea is perfect for the role. Perfect.

*images courtesy of peyups.com, pinoyexchange.com and pep.ph
**plots courtesy of wikipedia

Status: I just can’t refuse it.
Music: Don’t Stop the Music - Rihanna

It’s time for some local showbiz commentaries. Haha. First up, the old reeking hottest buzz in tinsel town — the alleged Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby love affair as suggested by Lolit Solis. I don’t buy this. Well, maybe they have an affair but what Lolit claims that the two were seen doing something i-don’t-know at some hotel? Nah. Total bluff. And whenever people ask me why I don’t believe it, I always tell them this:

On December 17, as I was reviewing for the Foreign Service Exams at Starbucks Imperial Palace Suites in Tomas Morato, I was surprised to find myself surrounded by a few celebrities and the press. In front of me were Mickey Perz and Mommy Yen (Pinoy Big Brother Season 2). To my right, at the center of the cafe, were Lolit Solis and a battalion of other entertainment writers together with the queen bee, Anabelle Rama. Soon, other writers including Alfie Lorenzo started showing up.

As much as I tried to concentrate on my studying, I just couldn’t. They talked so loudly as if Starbucks turned into an urban zoo all of a sudden. I even overheard Lolit Solis expressing her desire to retract regarding the Piolo-Sam controversy she had sparked with her writeup.

“Gusto ko na ngang bawiin yung writeup,” she said.

Anabelle Rama, then, replied, “Bakit mo naman babawiin? Nasabi mo na e. Wag mo nang bawiin.”

Nice. Very nice. Although it doesn’t say anything regarding the validity of her claim, for me, wanting to retract says so much about her integrity (or the lack thereof).

And oh, by the way, the entertainment press were gathered there because the Gutierrez family would give away gifts, raffle-style (if I’m not mistaken). Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Philippine showbiz. Envelopmental journalism, anyone?

… Read the rest of this entry »

Status: She’s Mrs. Extra Extra, this just in.
Music: Piece of Me - Britney Spears

The other night, my college friends and I were talking about how delightful Piece of Me was. I like Britney Spears (although I still like Christina Aguilera and a whole bunch of other performers better than her). And it’s nice that she’s slowly pulling herself together.

This new single of hers is a good statement song and a “sport” way of dealing with the truckload of bad publicity she has been enduring recently. Not to mention she mentioned the Philippines. Uhm, but even if she didn’t, the song would still be very likeable.

Although the carrier single Gimme More did not appeal to me in any way, and keeps on reminding me of Dam-dam doing an excruciatingly horrendous dance move, the album Blackout is surprisingly very good. In fact, critics have been raving about it.

It’s just that we still feel that Britney still lacks the charm and magic she used to have. It’s not that she has a sorta bulky figure now. There’s something missing really. Ayn pointed out that one of these was the camera connection she used to make in her previous videos. The best example: Toxic. See for yourself and compare.

Status: Tonsilitis is killing me
Music: If it Makes You Happy - Sheryl Crow

I really have no plans of talking about the issue, but since all my friends have been festering and pestering me asking me for what I have to say about Angel Locsin’s ober-da-bakod stint, what the heck? Fine.

So where to begin? Again, I am not loyal to ABS-CBN 2. But if your definition of being a kapamilya or kapuso is based on who I like better, then fine, call me a kapamilya. Most of the shows I love are on ABS-CBN, and in GMA 7’s history, I’ve only had a few shows that really glued my eyes to the screen. One of them — CLICK. Click was a youth-oriented show aired on Saturday afternoons opposite G-Mik. I mean come on, between G-Mik and Click, I’d definitely choose Click. That was the first time I heard of her name. So when Click bade goodbye, I never heard of Angel again until her boyfriend’s fatal fall. And I think that Miko Sotto’s tragic death actually launched Angel’s career as a star. We all wanted to symphatise with the grieving girlfriend (not including Claudine Barretto who was somehow blamed for Rico Yan’s unexpected death, oh Gawd, I miss him).

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Status: Frantic
Music: Wait for You - Elliot Yamin

Yep, it’s true! After the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy hosts and Nigel Barker, the Ayala Malls is bringing Elliott Yamin to the country. Don’t you just love Ayala Malls? Hahaha. Elliott has always beeen one of my favourite American Idol hopefuls (all seasons). And man, am I delirious! First, Christina Aguilera, now Elliott. But there’ll be no big concert. It’ll just be a simple mall tour. Simple. Interactive. Intimate.

Anyways, here’s the schedule I got from Elliot’s myspace:

September 21 - Trinoma, Quezon City
September 22 - Glorietta, Makati
September 23 - Alabang Town Centre
September 26 - Ayala Mall, Cebu
September 28 - Market! Market!, Taguig

Oh Elliott, I’ll surely wait for you.

Status: Lustful
Music: Because of You - Ne-Yo

We all have so many things we want to do before we die — travel the world, get rich, marry the man/woman of our dreams, have a happy family, whatever. Mine? What do I want to do before I die? Hmmm. Let me see…

1. Chris O’Donnell          2. Chris Evans             3. Christian Bale

There. Those three. Coincidentally, their first names are all Chris. Hmmm. Oh. You were expecting the three things I really want to do before I die? Uhm, THEM! I really wanna “do” them. Hahaha. I’d be ready to die after I “did” them. They’re like… heaven. Hehehe.

And the top 3 women from Hollywood:

1. Nicole Kidman           2. Keira Knightley       3. Catherine Zeta-Jones

How about you? What are the three things you want to “do” before you die? Er… I mean, who are your top 3 Hollywood crushes. Ehehehe.

Photos courtesy of allposters.com, casafree.com, cineclub.de, gizmodo.com, nicolekidmanfans.info, stuff.co.nz, aufeminin.com,

Status: Ecstatic
Music: Save Me from Myself - Christina Aguilera

It’s confirmed: Christina Aguilera is coming to the Philippines for a concert on July 6 at the Bonifacio Global City Open Field.

Tickets to Christina Aguilera’s concert are priced at P7,350 for VIP seats, P3,675 for patron and P1,050 for general admission. Special discounts will be given to Globe subscribers.

Tara. Nood tayo. Heto na ang pinakahihintay ko! Waaaaah!

Photo courtesy of aokeevents.com