Angel Locsin and John Lloyd Cruz Star in IMORTAL

I’m sooo excited! Soon to hit the small screen is the much anticipated series called IMORTAL, sequel to the award-winning and highly successful LOBO.

I guess one of the most remarkable things about this new show is the fact that this is the first team-up of Angel Locsin, who was nominated in the International Emmy for her performance in Lobo, and John Lloyd Cruz, who will be doing fantasy for the first time. Here’s trailer fresh from the oven:

Directed by Chito Rono and Jerry Lopez Sineneng, IMORTAL stars Maricar Reyes, Chin chin Gutierrez, Jake Roxas, Gladys Reyes, Jaime Fabregas and Rico Blanco.

Aside from the fact that I love Angel Locsin and John Lloyd Cruz to bits, I am a big Lobo fan. Lobo is one of the three ABS-CBN teleseryes in recent memory that, to me, are phenomenal in terms of quality and impact — the other two being Maging Sino Ka Man and Tayong Dalawa.

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A Dose of Reality

First of all, let me ask this: Is it just me or is Safeguard‘s new TV commercial for their promo raffle a little off? It’s starting to make my head itch. I mean, come on, we’re in the middle of El Nino and their commercial seems to be encouraging people to waste water!

I’m trying to find the video on YouTube so I can post the TV ad here. Does anyone have a link to that video?

Anyway, this is the time of the year when I am usually irritated by insensitive TV ads hooked to reality shows. Allow me to talk about them.

AMERICAN IDOL Season 9

Almost every year I hear my friends say “this is the worst season ever.” They said that about Carrie Underwood’s season, also Chris Daughtry’s, and Jordin Sparks’, and David Cook’s. And I was always like, “That’s so not true.” My favorite so far is still Season 5 (Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry) and Season 7 (David Archuleta, David Cook).

What can I say about this year’s American Idol? I have three words: WORST. SEASON. EVER.

Especially after this week’s elimination? Gooosh. If it weren’t for Didi Benami, I’d stop watching this show. I mean, Alex Lambert and Lily Scott got eliminated!!? What’s wrong, America?

<insert frustrated sigh here>

Darn. But my love for Didi Benami is greater than my hatred towards the entire season. So I’m still in.

THE AMAZING RACE Season 16

The latest season of my most-loved reality show has been airing for a month already and I am sooo enjoying it. I honestly am surprised why I still love the show when my favorite team never wins (except for Tyler Denk and James Branaman, they’re so hot, I was rooting for them since Day 1 and I almost threw an Amazing Race party when they won).

Last season, I was so in love with Maria and Tiffany but they quit. Season 10 (All Stars), beauty queens Dustin and Kandice got all my loving but they lost. Season 4, Colin and Christie failed to win the race, either. Still love the show, though.

This season, all my cheers and prayers go to the cowboys Jet and Cord. Smart, smart players, I love it. Here’s hoping they win.

And I’m loving Caite. Her boyfriend Brent is a piece of wood but I love her. Hope they make it to the final 3.

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Si Angelica Panganiban si RUBI, Ang Bidang Kontrabida

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.

Darna’s Kili-kili Power!

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

Protected: Faux Arrogance

The Things that Made My Weekend Fun

Status: Terrified.
Music: Terrified | Kara DioGuardi feat Jason Reeves

• BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANDRE! It was his birthday last Saturday, February 21. I had a great time at his party despite the migraine. Slept in the couch while the rest were belting out diva and boy band songs. Haha. And Andre, alam ko minumura mo ako habang natutulog. Haha. Tangenamurin.
• I finally got to attend a blogger event! Haha. First time. I was a little nervous, though, coz I never really wanted to attend ANY blog event. Too shy for that. But I was so glad to meet Lio, Jehzlau, Ada, Benj, Coy, Eric, Joms, Fitz, and many others. Waah, sorry, I suck at identifying faces and remembering names. Plus, I spent most of the time hiding behind a sheet of paper.
• I met up with Kuya Ethan at UP Shopping Center last night to get the book he owed me, ehehe. Gaahd, I missed him so much. Hahaaaay.
• The Amazing Race 14 has started. Weeeeeh. So far I like the Asian siblings and the flight attendants. TAR is still my most loved reality show.
• American Idol Season 8. Hmmm. I’ll start blogging about it after the semi-finals. But as of now, Alexis Grace and Danny Gokey get my lovin’. And waaah, Anoop Desai didn’t make it. Wuwuwu.
• Speaking of Idol, in an email exchange, blogger friend Berg urged me to listen to “Terrified,” Kara DioGuardi‘s collaboration with Jason Reeves. Well, right now, Kara is my most liked among American Idol judges. And Jason Reeves is looove. And Berg has a really, really great taste in music. So I took time to listen to it, and I was blown away. Here’s a live performance:




And I-I-I’m in love (I’m in love)
And I-I-I’m terrified…
I only said it ’cause I mean it
I only mean ’cause it’s true…

• Aside from the pretty song above, other songs that have been inducing LSS include:
  The Fray‘s “Never Say Never”
  Kings of Leon‘s “Use Somebody”
  Jesse McCartney‘s “How Do You Sleep?”
  Snow Patrol‘s “Crack the Shutters”
  Craig David’s “Insomnia”
• Wahaha. I love the recently concluded Oscars. Knew Slumdog Millionaire would win but I would really be happier had it been The Reader instead.
• Kate Winslet made me cry with her shampoo bottle speech. At last, Winslet, at last.
• And Sean Penn, I adore you not just for your excellent portrayal of Harvey Milk but also for your speech:




I think it’s a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and their shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that support. We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone.“ –Sean Penn

• Nicole Kidman speaking and paying tribute to Angelina Jolie was my idea of award-show bliss. Made me giggle a number of times. Anne Hathaway was teary-eyed. Love her.

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Bulleted Blurts

Status: Perfectly functional.
Music: Smack into You | Jon Mclaughlin

• Wow, time flies. January has only a few days left.
• I still got tonsilitis. Dammit. But it’s aright, I’m completely functional. Just that my breath smells like a slice of durian you trap in a jar for a week and then you open it and voila… welcome to Payatas. Yaaak.
• So now I’m in Batangas with my family. Yesterday, I was in Tagaytay. And it was COLD. I know what you’re thinking. “Come on, it’s Tagaytay, of course, it’s cold. Duh?” Well yeah, but not that cold. I’m always there. Thanks to its proximity to our house here. But it was really cold.
• And I realized that listening to my dear Jon Mclaughlin‘s album “OK Now” in a freezing weather is therapeutic. I’m starting to think that I’m only getting better coz of it. (Yeah, screw antibiotics! Men are THE cure! It’s always men!)
• It’s Sunday! My favorite day. And it’s not because of the church. It’s Philippine showbiz, baby. Sunday means ASAP 09 and The Buzz. Haha. I looove seeing Ruffa Gutierrez and Kris Aquino bickering on POV (Points, Opinions, Violent Reactions). Gaaawd. They really HAVE to replace Boy Abunda. When he sits in between Ruffa and Kris, he’s getting blander and lamer and uglier by the second.
• Been hooked to Tayong Dalawa. Ehehe. Fantastic ensemble. Even Gerald Anderson is impressive. Sana may quotable quotes din like Iisa Pa Lamang, haha.
• Andre, Dohna, Ayn, and I are planning to go to Thailand. And Cambodia. And Vietnam. Later this year. Yay! Me excited. Eeeeeeeh.
• I’ll be posting my Oscar predictions. But I need to watch all the nominated films first. But even though I’ve only seen a few, my heart already belongs to one film — The Reader. I worship Stephen Daldry. I pray to him before and after every meal. (Char!) And as my friend Ayn pointed out, he has made only three movies, but all of them are Oscar-nominated. (The others being Billy Elliot and The Hours.) I might change my mind after I’ve seen all the films, though.
• In a bit more than a month from now, I’ll be turning 23. But I can still barely say I’m a grown-up. It hurts to grow. It hurts to grow.

Whoever Said Nerds Ain’t Hot?

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 favorite 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? Continue reading »

TV Rundown 2008 | Comedy

Pushing Daisies | Seasons 1 & 2
Genre: Comedy; Creator: Bryan Fuller
Stars: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Kristin Chenoweth

I admit that the whole Pushing Daisies idea was a little too quirky and too whimsy  and too fancy for me. I didn’t think I would like it. I’m just not the type of person who would enjoy magic realism shit. My kind of comedy is closer to that of Desperate Housewives or House. But I dunno, last year, after one episode of Pushing Daisies, I immediately fell in love with it and all its quirks and fancies.

The series reminds me of Amelie, a Jean Pierre Jeunet masterpiece. And everything about it is just TRULY delightful — the bright colours, the oversaturated scenery, the witty narration, the fast pace, the overall concept, and above all, the piemaker. Haha. I declared “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m officially gay.” At least stereotypically. You know, the colourful, flamboyant, I-wanna-experience-Mardi-Gras-gay gay.

And I was just sooo happy after the show received a couple of well-deserved Emmy nods and tons of nominations. And then a little later, ABC just killed my mood. DARN! Why did they have to cancel the show?! I know why, actually — modest ratings. But heck. I know life is unfair but not this no-more-piemaking-eyecandy-unfair unfair! It’s just sooo… unfair. Gaaah.

Dammit. Pushing Daisies is the drug. And it takes me to a new level of television-high. I feel like I’ve been so addicted to this show that I’m this close to joining a support group just to get rid of this addiction. But I don’t really want to get rid of it. (Gahd, I’m lost in my metaphors.) And then just like that, my stash will be gone soon. Someone’s gonna be suffering from Pushing Daisies withdrawal big time.  5.0

…

Ugly Betty | Season 2
Genre: Comedy, Action, Thriller; Director: Joel Schumacher
Stars: Val Kilmer, Chris O’Donnell, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman

I am yet to start watching the third season so I can’t say anything about it. But the second season is just lovely. The first season is far more hilarious but this season is enjoyable, nonetheless.

There are two things that I love love loved the most in this season. First, the return of Claire Meade, one of my fave characters. And the other, the addition of Freddy Rodriguez, whom I missed since Six Feet Under. And I love Gio more than Henry by 2000 lightyears.

I wonder if Betty and Daniel will ever share a romantic relationship like in its original and all the other versions. I’m a little torn with regard to this. Somehow, I adore their relationship as is. But I can’t help wondering how it’s gonna turn out if they develop something more than friendship.

Amanda is a showstopper. This is my fave one and a half minutes of the show EVER.

Gaawd. Amanda, Amanda, Amanda. Haha. But still, Wilhelmina all.the.way. 4.5

…

Desperate Housewives | Season 4 & 5
Genre: Action, Thriller; Directors: Joel Schumacher
Stars: George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alicia Silverstone, Uma Thurman, Chris O’Donnell

Season 4: What’s the best season of Desperate Housewives? Hmmm. Damn, that’s hard. But my favorite is a toss between seasons 3 and 4.

The most remarkable changes in this season is the addition of the very competitive Katherine Mayfair, a former Wysteria Lane resident who has just returned with a bagful of dirty laundry; and unconventional, gay couple Lee and Bob.

The “Tornado” (Something’s Coming) episode is the second best, I think, of the entire show. (Season 3′s “Bang” episode, where Lynette had a life-and-death confrontation with the hostage-taker Carolyn Bigsby, is #1. Felicity Huffman was just so very crazy divine.)

Season 5: At first, I was taken aback by the show’s 5-year jump. I mean, almost every character has changed. It’s not the same DH anymore. But after a few episodes, I got the hang of it.

For the first time ever, Gabby is now my fave housewife. (I’ve always been a Lynette/Bree fan.) It’s nice to see her struggling to get her fab, glam self back. And I finally think her character is not as empty as I thought it was. I hope she gets rich and hottt again by the end of the season.

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The Jologs Factor

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).

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