One morning in September 2007, I was in the office when boredom got the better of me. And like many bored members of the working class, I logged onto YouTube and looked for the music video of Rihanna’s Umbrella. The search made me stumble upon a band’s acoustic cover of the song. I was blown away. I even loved it better than the original. The band was composed by three brothers — Daniel, Fabian, and Alejandro Manzano. The band’s name was Boyce Avenue.

I became a fan instantaneously. That particularly video had only around 40 views. None of my friends knew them. Somehow I was glad. I thought, “This budding group is going to be my little secret.” I anticipated more “cover videos.” And they never failed to amaze me each time they post a new one. YouTube became my little world and Boyce Avenue was the only thing in it.

It was only a matter of time when those 60 views became hundreds, then thousands, then millions. They became an internet phenomenon with over 75 million total views on YouTube, 143,000 subscribers, and ranked as one of the top musician channels of all-time on YouTube. My little secret became the world’s. My little secret became everything but. And for these men, I’m more than happy.

I blogged about them and their first time in Manila (a mall tour). And now, I’m glad I’m blogging about them again because they’re returning to the Philippines for a major concert. And he’s not alone.

Jabbawockeez arrived in Manila last week and I’m delighted to hear they will be a regular on ASAP XV for a month. I’m not really a dance fan but it doesn’t take a dance diploma to know that they ARE great. Especially after the technical boo-boo on ASAP last Sunday. They were just the most creative-slash-professional group ever. They’re amazing.

Kris Allen will be performing at MusicFest, too. Allow me to die for a moment. (OK, I just died there.) I remember last year when every one of my friends was rooting for that Adam Lambert guy, I think I was the only one in my circle that was jumping out of my seat. Doesn’t matter, though. He’s won. He’s here. And I’m going to see him.

(more…)

Well, it’s not really a secret. I’m a big John Lloyd Cruz-Bea Alonzo fan. Not the type who storms to the premiere night armed with a tarpaulin, shouting “We looove you Lloydie! We looove you Bea!” But I have seen all their movies and TV series. Hehe.

What I love about their team-up is that they do not really resort to fooling the public, declaring they love each other or that they are an item. The viewers are well aware that they are not a couple. But whenever they are together on screen, they are able to make scenes natural, believable and effective (in terms of kilig and entertainment value). No gimmicks required.

One More Chance is one of my most-loved local romance dramas and I was sure thrilled when Star Cinema (ABS-CBN Film Production) announced that Bea and John Lloyd is having a reunion movie as the studio’s Valentine offering.

Call me jologs. Call me baduy. Call me whatever. I love them. I love Direk Cathy Garcia-Molina. I am seeing this movie. Opening day.

Sorry, fan lang.

Don’t you just love the full trailer of ABS-CBN’s remake of Mexican telenovela Rubi? Angelica Panganiban is just oh-so-perfect for the role.

It’s not a secret that of all the up and coming Kapamilya shows, I am most excited about Rubi for a number of reasons.

• I religiously watched the Mexican “Rubi” when it was first shown in the Philippines a few years ago. It was refreshing to me, having an ill-mannered character for the lead role. I deliberately avoided enlisting to any 11:30am class just to catch every episode of it. I was in college then.
• I was anticipating who would play this very challenging role long before they announced they were doing a remake of it. I initially picked Kristine Hermosa for the role despite her acting skills (or the lack thereof) because I thought it would be a breath of fresh air. Angelica was just my second choice for the role. But that was before Angel played Scarlet in the hit Claudine Barretto-topbilled drama series Iisa Pa Lamang.
• Angelica Panganiban, after Scarlet and the very funny Crissy (in Banana Split), has become one of my most-loved actresses. She’s just so versatile. She can do drama, horror, and comedy effortlessly. She can also be naive and angelic in one project and then cruel and manipulative in another. Only a few actors can do that.

I really wish this series would perform well in the ratings game. This is Angelica’s first solo project and she has waited for this for so long.

I know I’m gay but she’s sooo hot. *blushes*

God, I’m such a fanboy.

Note: I originally wrote this article for Qool Media in 2007. And since it’s awards season once again, I figured it’s time for me to publish this on this blog. Just edited it a little for updates. Remember that this is a PERSONAL list and that it was written in 2007, three years ago. But feel free to add other actors that you think are underrated.

Life isn’t fair. Some people get too much while others get so much less that what they deserve. Like life, Hollywood is unfair, too. It is home to many celebrities who enjoy fame for absolutely no remarkable work. And then, there are those who have exerted so much effort and unparalleled talent but never really received any significant recognition.

From brilliant actors who are refused to be given a break to those who rock their roles no matter how small they are, you can produce a list of celebrities who are not given what they are due. Here is a list of ten FAMOUS actors and actresses in Hollywood but criminally underrated.

10. Sandra Bullock

Although many people would disagree that Sandra Bullock is overrated for all the fame and glamor she enjoys right now, it has to be noted that she CAN act. All the talk about her in tinsel town was not about how good an actress she was. Aside from her dazzling beauty and head-turning attitude that always make her top every most beautiful celebrities list there is, she is a total scene-stealer when it comes to acting.

Unfortunately, not all people realize that. Her portrayal of a woman in jeopardy in Speed isn’t a performance that Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson or Jennifer Aniston can deliver. She even completely kicked out Matthew McConaughey from the spotlight with her outstanding performance in “A Time to Kill.” Heck, even her very tiny role in “Crash” was well-celebrated.

(Update: Thanks to The Blind Side, Sandra got a challenging, heavy role in a good material and hopefully it pays off this year and be regarded as among her contemporaries such as Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman in the acting department.)

9. Jennifer Jason Leigh

Jennifer Jason Leigh may have lost a number of important roles in huge movies like The Terminator (to Linda Hamilton) and Hannibal (to Julianne Moore) but she’s definitely here to prove her worth as an actress. She has shown her acting prowess in several films, from Mrs. Parker and eXistenZ but she is surprisingly still not well-known in Hollywood and is yet to reach the dizzy heights of Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts. Still, she continues to give us brilliant performances but most of them are barely noticed.

8. Gary Oldman

Another great mystery in Hollywood is why Gary Oldman has never received any nod from either the Golden Globes or the Oscars. He isn’t named “The Chameleon” for no reason. Like Johnny Depp who looks so different in all his movies, Gary has already made a name for portraying a wide range of unusual characters varying international backgrounds. He delivers every performance with unmatched intensity that overpowers those of his co-stars every single time.

He is an incredibly talented actor who is still waiting for that moment when his formidable acting skills be recognized by any major award-giving body. Before that day comes, he will continue giving life to supporting characters and will remain one of the most underrated actors in the history of cinema.

(more…)

It’s been a while since I posted conversations with Andre. We don’t spend that much time together anymore even though we’re now housemates. Ironic, yeah?

BLIND SPOT

While walking around at a mall:

Yoshke: Uy, nakita mo yung nakasalubong natin? Grabe, he was checking you out! Tingin sya nang tingin sayo!
Andre: Ah talaga? Hindi ko nakita! Gwapo?
Yoshke: Err… Hinde.
Andre: Aaaah… kaya hindi ko nakita.

Aba, may selective blindness!

TOP 3

Shy Guy: Uy Andre, may papakilala ako sa’yo na officemate. Gwapo. Eto Facebook nya.
Andre: Oh sige sige.

Shy Guy showed Andre  the guy’s Facebook profile.

Andre: Ay, bet ko na yan!
Shy Guy: Kaso drop out sya ng UST.
Andre: Ay OK lang yun, drop out din naman ako.
Shy Guy: Eh UP ka naman.
Andre: True. At least kahit drop out ako, yung school ko ay nasa top 3!
Yoshke: Top 3 ng…?
Andre: Top 3 ng Cheerdance Competition! Wahahaha.

(more…)

SM Megamall

Andre, Shy Guy and I were walking around looking for a place to have dinner at when we passed by Petit Monde. The store’s facade is covered with huge posters of Carmen Soo.

Yoshke: Nagagandahan ba kayo kay Carmen Soo?
Shy Guy: Oo. OK lang. Bakit, ikaw?
Yoshke: Oo naman. Ikaw, Andre?
Andre: Oo namaaan. Iba kasi eh. Simpleng ganda lang. Parang… parang… parang ako.

Hala. Maganda daw sya!

Trinoma

Days after the Carmen Soo incident, Andre and I found ourselves in Trinoma. I forgot why we were there (but I swear it wasn’t bird-watching). Anyway, this time, we passed by Bench where a poster showcasing the buffed physique and nakaka-ihing sex appeal ni Gerald Anderson in a sleeveless shirt, his hands under his head, his armpits exposed.

Andre: (squeezing may left shoulder) Gaaaaaah. Eeeeeeh.
Yoshke: O ano na naman?
Andre: Ang sarap naman ng kili-kili ni Gerald… Parang gusto ko dun tumira…

Go lang! Tumira ka sa kili-kili ni Gerald Anderson! Hindi kita pipigilan!

(more…)

Darna 2005 and Darna 2009 without their costumes and showing their kili-kili. Angel Locsin vs Marian Rivera! Game on!

They’re both hot, aright? But uhm yeah, someone is hotter than the other.
images courtesy of Folded and Hung, and Jag.
special thanks to Shy Guy for the title. haha

Hmmm. Christmas vacation. I’m still here in Batangas. It’s funny how I’ve been spending this much-deserved break — drinking, pigging out and watching TV. As soon as I wake up (which is at exactly 11am, haha), I turn the TV on and channel hop from National Geographic to Discovery Channel to National Geographic to Discovery. I call it my “nerd-reflex.” (And it’s definitely better than some of my friends’ morning “jack-off” reflex. Haha.)

You see, I missed geek channels so much since I don’t have cable in my flat in Quezon City. And it’s been a while since I indulged my nerd-alter-ego. The past two years, I had to give way to the diplomat in me and worship CNN and BBC in my spare time, which was “all the time” back then.

Almost two years ago, I wrote this:

If watching National Geographic and Discovery channels is the top sign of being a geek, then wow, I am definitely one. There are a lot of shows that I really make an effort trying to catch. But I’m terribly pissed. For some reason I am yet to enquire about, my cable provider seems to be stationed on another continent. Why? Because what we have is Discovery Channel UK and National Geographic Channel UK….

…Unlike Discovery Asia and NG Asia, the channels we have show European schedules. For example, I want to catch a certain show, I always need to add five or six hours more to the time they show on the screen, because, of course, they’re in Europe. And I never get used to it!

Now, nothing much has changed. My cable provider still seems to be based overseas. But this time, not in Europe but in another continent. They are now giving us Discovery and NGC South Africa. What.the.heck.

Not that I’m complaining.

The other day, they had a Bible Uncovered marathon. This is a documentary series on National Geographic that examines the great biblical stories and the passionate quests to understand them. Did any of the miraculous events described in this sacred book really happen as recorded? A team of scientists joins forces with religious scholars to investigate biblical tales of murder, miracles and mystery.

The entire day, my eyes were glued to the TV. And whoever came between me and the screen got a nagging of BIBLICAL proportions.

I was able to catch episodes about several rock-my-non-existent-faith subjects — from what really happened to Cain and Abel to the search for the Noah’s Ark to the Shroud of Turin to the Gospel of Judas to the idea that Jesus did not actually die on the cross to the Dead Sea scrolls to the Knights Templar. It was the best day of my vacation (not including yesterday, when I visited my favourite orphanage).

And other than Jesus, there are just two men that I really, really want to see on my TV all the darn time. They’re like my dream guys, hot and smart.

Discovery’s BEAR GRYLLS

I chanced upon his show Man Vs Wild in the middle of channel surfing several months ago. Discovery is sandwiched by CNN and BBC. I saw him shirtless, trying to eat a live sea urchin. And I said, “oh that’s hot.” And I wasn’t referring to the urchin-eating stunt. Since then, I’ve been following him. On TV, that is.

The show works like this: he is dropped into an inhospitable region like a desert or a small tropical island or Siberia. Imagine him as a lost, stranded tourist. Once there, the show documents as Bear demonstrates how to survive in the place and get out of it alive.

The series has shown him devouring a live fish, gorging on raw meat and drinking the fluids of camel/elephant dung. Although, there have been some controversies in the UK insinuating him faking his stunts, I still love him. Haha.

Bear Grylls peeing on his shirt to survive in the desert

Wanna see him drink his own urine? (more…)

I remember this one time I was having a few rounds of beer with my friends Jon and Marck somewhere in Metrowalk when the conversation suddenly made a sharp curve onto “Jologs Avenue.” I was shocked but delighted to learn that they had a jologs side, too. And it made me wonder if my friend Icang was right when she said, “we all have the Jologs factor.”

I am a hodgepodge.

My personality is a mixture of a wide variety of traits and tastes. For example, my taste in music. I appreciate pretty much anything. As in anything. One time, you see me listening to Vanessa Mae; the next minute I’m humming Kylie Minogie’s Locomotion or Nelly Furtado’s Say It Right. Give it an hour, I’m belting out a Basil Valdez ballad or an Aegis classic. Haha.

When it comes to food, I enjoy gourmet food. But if you drag me to the nearest fishball stall, I’ll gorge on street foods nang walang patumangga.

My interests range from a bit highbrow to downright jologs! And I’m proud of it. Haha. And I admire those people who are not ashamed to free their jologs alter-ego every once in a while.

• One of my friends, Aila, may be one of the most conio-looking Atenean in the world. She has this conio aura. But heck, she used to watch “Ang Pangarap Kong Jackpot.”
• Another buddy, Marck, translates English songs to Tagalog (and vice versa) whenever he’s bored, which is like every day of his life.
• Robin just can’t get over the glory days of the Juday-Wowie loveteam!
• RJ will introduce your jaws to the floor once he enumerates his crushes — Jean Saburit, Jennifer Mendoza, Shirley Fuentes, Bunny Paras, Tina Paner!

And me, well, I have more than my share. It’s innate. In fact, everything I touch magically becomes jolog-ish. Haha. Here are some of my J-Facts (jologs factors).

(more…)

He sings, dances, acts on stage and screen, and he’s [People Magazine's] “Sexiest Man Alive….”

Hugh Jackman was announced Friday as the host of the 81st Academy Awards, a marked departure from the academy’s standard of big-name comedians. Jon Stewart who hosted in 2008 and 2006, and Ellen DeGeneres, the 2007 host, were the latest in a line of funny emcees since 1990. Billy Crystal did it eight times, Whoopi Goldberg took on four, Steve Martin did it twice and David Letterman and Chris Rock each had a shot.

As the parade of A-list comedians continued, ratings were in steady decline. But with new producers, a new director, new set designer and even a new music director, the academy has been hinting for months at an all-new look and feel for this year’s Oscars telecast on Feb. 22.

Source: Huffingtonpost.com

Hmmm. I hope he’s funny. But I am sure to watch the show whatever. Haha.
image courtesy of tinypic.com