Who wants a Christmas Date with Yaya Dub?

Had an opportunity to sit beside the VIC (Very Important Comedian) and Ms. Ai-Ai Delas Alas during the blogger's conference for the movie My Bebe Love. If only Yaya Dub was there, things might have been dub-ble the fun.

If there is one woman, aside from my wife, who I want to spend Christmas with this year, it’s definitely Maine Mendoza, Yaya Dub, Meng or whatever term endearment every Kalye Serye loving guy want to call her.

Who is not mesmerized by Maine? Even people from the “other side of the fence” were not spared of this amazing she. How can you not? You see her every TV commercial break, along main roads, on your Facebook feed and even in the eyes of your mother-in-law who seems to be in good vibes since June this year.

Now, I am supposed to be very excited about the latest Star Wars installment since I dream of being a Sith Lord when I was young. But I have to postpone my crave for Hans Solo, Chewbacca and R2-D2 ‘till January next year because my movie budget this December will be for Yaya Dub’s first movie. Well, my family already booked a hotel room on the 24th so we will be first in line when the mall opens. Btw, our hotel is in front of the mall so as early as breakfast time, so we can already plan the best way we can maneuver our way to the entrance.

Now going back to the movie of our beloved Meng, she will be paired to that guy who will always make us question if life is fair every time we see him--- Alden Richards. Imagine this: the undisputed Philippine box-office king of comedy Vic Sotto and box-office queen Ai-Ai delas Alas will join forces with the newest record-breaking, phenomenal loveteam Aldub in one groundbreaking movie during the holiday season.

Now that makes this movie more appropriate to have the sub-title “The Force Awakens.”

I am not Nostradamus but “My Bebe Love: Kilig Pa More!” is going to make a killing at the box-office and set higher heights in the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) History.

Now, who wants to date Yaya Dub this Christmas? Count me in.

Fan lang ako ni Senator Sotto

Looking on the bright side, the now infamous "Blogger lang iyon!" words of Sen. Tito Sotto is giving some publicity to the blogging community.

This morning, while being squeezed in between a big guy in sando (with a healthy hair growth on his armpits) to my left and a petite lady using her cellphone as a calculator to my right inside a nice smelling FX (I just love vanilla scent), I overheard two guys at the back conversing about Tito Sen.  Their conversation was something like this:

Guy 1: Ano ba yung blogger?

Guy 2: Sa internet yun. Parang media.

Guy 1: E, bakit parang galit si Tito Sotto.

Guy 2: Ewan ko. I-Google mo kaya.

Guy 1: Mamya na, Facebook muna ko

I am not Lastikman (Hi, Bossing!) to be able to stretch my neck up and check what those young fellows are looking at but base on the other topics that I heard them talked about (there is no radio in the FX so what can I do?)--- they're doing Facebook using their mobile phones.

Deep inside, I said wow to myself (something I find funny imagining myself actually doing it). Why? For the first time in my life, since being introduced to world of blogging in 2007, it’s the first time that I heard people inside a public utility vehicle (MRT/ LRT, jeepneys, tricycle and habal-habal included) talking about the B word. Nah, I’m not talking about Blair Carabuena.

Imagine this: millions of Filipinos watch Eat Bulaga everyday then suddenly they heard one of their hosts talking about blogs and bloggers. One unaware soul might get curious and will Google or ask another person to check what the heck he is talking about.

Let’s face it, many Filipinos have little information abouth bloggers. Some who have heard about bloggers like me even have some unpleasant impressions about us--- gatecrashers, loot bag looters and trying hard wannabes who wants to get media privileges just because he/ she has the ability to write and post something online. Let’s not even forget about Mr. BigBad Blogger.

But with the Tito Sotto incident, I would like to believe that people will be interested to check out blogs a little different now. And I’m sure, people will find a gem or two with the many great bloggers in the cyberspace, and who knows in the end they might even get interested to make a site of their own.

For me, blogging is one of the best things that ever happened in my life. It’s a stress buster, online diary, gateway to new friends and contacts, a way to get for free things I have no means of buying,  a taste of good life, ticket to (instant) fame ,  a full-time/ part-time job... it’s my life!

   

I am proud to be a blogger the same way I have been a proud TVJ fan ever since I started to learn to sing and dance the Eat Bulaga theme song when I was just 5 years old.

Mahal ko po kayo, Sen. Sotto dahil ang mga tough hits nyo ang nakasama ko sa pagtawa sa mga panahong walang dahilan para magpakaligaya... pinasarap n’yo lalo ang luto ng nanay ko sa tanghalian dahil kayo ang kasama naming sa hapag-kainan... at higit sa lahat, mahal ko kayo dahil hindi LANG kayo TV host, artista o senador para sa akin. Naging bahagi na po kayo ng buhay ko!

The list is out! Top Grossing Local Movies of 2011

For the first time this year, I was able to do my regular task of scanning local newspapers today.

It has been quite a transition for the half portion of my body still on vacation mode to finally accept the reality that there was no long New Year vacation last week.

So I grab every available broadsheets I can find in the lobby and check for some interesting news that might impact the local business landscape that my company should know--- inflation hits 11-month low, Bangko Sentral planning to cut interest rates, the government earning $1.5 billion from a global bond sale. Wow!

But the most interesting news I read today is from Business World courtesy of their Weekender sub-editor Jeffrey Valisno who wrote the feature The Filipino Movie: Reports of its death are greatly exaggerated.  By the title itself, one can tell that the writer wants to prove the fact that local cinema is very much alive.

He supported his article with some figures which I scanned (so forgive me with the quality of the images in this post) from the hard copy of the newspaper.  Browse the lists below and see for yourself.  2011 gave three of the top ten all-time box office hits in the Philippines: The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin, No Other Woman and Enteng ng Ina Mo.      

 

Now, when almost everyone is excited about The Avengers, Hunger Games and the likes, would it be quite interesting to wait and see what great finds local movie goers are in for in 2012?

The World Will End on October 21... Magkita naman tayo!

Cartoon by Bob Englehart from The Hartford Courant

Whenever I hear news about soothsayers predicting about the end of the world on a certain date, I would just smile and say to my self, “Who the heck are these people to know when our planet will stop rotating.”

The last individual who boldly predicted rapture was evangelist Harold Camping who said in a special broadcast on his radio program Open Forum that May 21, 2011 is THE DAY.  Of course, it did not happen.  After five months, guess who’s back with a new prophecy--- Mr. Camping.

Now he’s saying that October 21, 2011 is the REAL DEAL.  Well, that’s just a few days from now and I bet this 90-year old wannabe fortune teller will again eat his words and hopefully will be fed up with it and just spent his remaining years on Earth drafting his will and testament, or why not make a bucket list instead.

Hmmm… which kinda inspire to come up with my own bucket list for the spirit of fun if indeed, October 21 is the end of the world.

I’ve been known to my friends as a person who easily got stars trucked whenever I meet celebrities specially when I least expect them.  More than likely, I will never leave the venue until I have a photo with the celeb.  So, here are the five local personalities I’d like to have a picture with before October 21:

Vic Sotto.  I am arguably his biggest fan.  I have watched his TV shows and movies ever since.  I even have clippings of news, features and interviews on newspapers and magazines and video copies of his films when I was a kid only to loose a lot of them during a nasty flood that hit our home in Pasig more than a decade ago.  I have watched Eat Bulaga live at Broadway Centrum for a number of times but never had the chance to get near him.  My best Vic Sotto experience happened when he greeted me and my wife on air in an episode of Eat Bulaga on December 2006, a week before our wedding, after he read an article I wrote about him for The Philippine Star.  With Vic Sotto mentioning my name… priceless!

Vina Morales.  I am not ashamed to admit that I have a crush on Vina--- with all her muscles and sometime kinda OA way of singing.  I don’t care what other people say but the moment I heard her sing “Perslab” during the Wednesday edition of That’s Entertainment, I was just swept away and still a fan until today.  I had so many chances of meeting her since I worked for three years with the VIVA Entertainment Group, his mother studio then, but it never not happen.  My best Vina Morales experience was on my 25th birthday.  I was in the shooting of our company's TV commercial when I got a call from a well-wisher.  My office mates who were left in the office manage to ask Vina to call and greet me on that special day.  I still keep the autograph picture of Vina which she left on my office table with the note, “Hope to meet you someday”

Ronald Tubid. I am a certified Ginebra fan ever since I learned to love the game of basketball.  When I was young, I sometimes end up in a fight with other kids who would say bad words about my all-time basketball idol, former Senator Robert Jaworski (who I also want to meet).  When the Big J left the PBA, I looked for another cager to follow and I found Tubid--- a former school mate at the University of the East Manila.  He was known as “The Saint” in the early years of his career after being tapped as the face of the next Filipino saint Pedro Calungsod.  But because of his rugged plays and dare-devil attitude towards the game, he was christened as Mr. Fearless.  My wife knows this, I have skipped countless dinners and some important occasions just to watch Tubid and the Gin Kings play. Uber but true.

Ely Buendia.  I don’t know if I would ever enjoy college life that same way I did if Ely and the Eraserheads were not able to penetrate the local music scene in the 90's.  Thank God, it did not happen.  Eheads’s music was my anthem during the time I was looking for inspiration as a working student who has only enough money in my pocket for the cheapest meal and jeepney fare to go home on a day-to-day basis.  On my first year in college, the band scored a hit with “Ligaya” from their first studio album and the rest is history.  They are the only artists, local and foreign, whose songs I will never get tired of listening to.  Until now, I still can’t believe how I manage to buy all their albums since the cost of the tape then (a little over Php 150) was already my one week allowance.  Huwag mo nang itanong sa akin.

Ricky Lo.  If only I have the look of Piolo Pascual, height of say, Dingdong Dantes and the voice of Martin Nievera… I could have been a movie star.  Well, I thought then that being a movie fan is the nearest thing I can be until Ricky Lo, Editor of the Entertainment section of The Philippine Star opened the doors to writers who wants to contribute articles and movie reviews.  I don’t know if Ricky knows how people like me feels seeing our names going side by side with the newspaper regular columnists like Boy Abunda, Joey de Leon, Venus Raj and other veteran writers.  Feeling celebrity na rin ako for a day.  I have a dozen of my articles Ricky has allowed to be published in the newspaper which I will forever be thankful.  Thank you so much, Sir Ricky!

I really have a long list of the people I want to meet but since October 21 is just within the week, I'll have a short list for now.  Oh well, I can make another list after the said date. That is if the prediction is wrong.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire is back! With Vic Sotto

Have you heard about the news? Who wants to be a Millionaire is back in local TV with no less than bossing Vic Sotto as host. For other details, visit the link below:

http://ebdabarkads.multiply.com/journal/item/6/Vic_Sotto_is_the_new_Millonaire_host

Hmmm... I'm sure I am not the only one interested to join the game show. Considering the popularity of the game got some help from the success of the Oscar-winning film "Slumdog Millionaire"