Call Me Maybe’ Pinoy style

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Liz Uy, Raymond Gutierrez and Carla Humpries (Screen grab from YouTube)What will happen if you put together Solenn Heussaff, Georgina Wilson, Anne Curtis, Liz Uy, Isabelle Daza, Bea Soriano, Carla Humphries,  Raymond Gutierrez, Erwan Heussaff, Borgy Manotoc, Adrien Semblat, Nico Bolzico, Eric Dee and yes, Manny Pacquiao in one goofy video?

Simple. It's going to be a viral hit. Just see for yourself.
The home video which as of posting time has already attracted 287,389 views on YouTube features a few of the most beautiful celebrities in the country singing and dancing to Carly Rae Jepsen's hit "Call Me Maybe."
A number of Hollywood stars, hosts and recording artists have made the same themed "Call Me Maybe" video.
Check them out:
Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale and friends
Miley Cyrus and friends
Katy Perry, Zooey Deschanel and friends
E!'s "Fashion Police" hosts J Joan Rivers, Giuliana Rancic, Kelly Osbourne, George Kotsiopoulos and friends.
Celebrity host, Raymond Gutierrez explains to Yahoo! Philipines OMG! why their gorgeous group came up

Take 2 for Lifehouse live in Manila

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NEW YORK, NY - JULY 15: (L-R) Rick Woolstenhulme Jr., Ben Carey, Jason Wade and Bryce Soderberg of Lifehouse perform during a taping of "FOX & Friends" at FOX Studios on July 15, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)Four-man alternative rock band Lifehouse return to Manila on Saturday May 26, for a one-night engagement at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

Lifehouse found success mining grungy verse-chorus-verse into rock ballads. At a time when hit charts and radio play still mattered, they churned out melodic ballads like "Hanging by a Moment," "You and Me" and "Sick Cycle Carousel."
The band came out of California in 2000 composed of vocalist/rhythm guitarist Jason Wade, lead guitarist Ben Carey, drummer Rick Woolstenhulme Jr. and bassist Bryce Soderberg. In the fall of that year, they debuted with an album entitled "No Name Face" which defined their hook-laden take on love, life and faith.
Striving for lasting impact
Through the next three albums, Lifehouse cemented their claim on dynamics over subtlety, or even originality on their own version of grunge. They play brooding ballads that rocked as the moment demanded it.
Bryce has said they just do what they do best and make each

New Tulfo-Santiago NAIA brawl video surfaces

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Claudine Barretto and Raymart Santiago (NPPA Images)Just when we thought all has been said and done, another video of the Santiago-Tulfo airport fracas surfaces on TV5.

The new video purportedly goes against Raymart Santiago's "God is my witness" claim that his camp did not hit Tulfo first.
In the video discovered by TV5, the man in pink from Santiago's camp, the one who lost his slippers in the first video, can be seen hitting Tulfo on the right side of the head with his left hand while the TV host and columnist was talking to the woman in a pink top and white shorts, believed to be Santiago's wife, Claudine Barretto.
Other issues exposed
This controversy not only put the Santiagos and Tulfo in an unfavorable light, it also exposed other issues.
It revealed the absence of CCTV cameras in the carousel area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.
It showed the failure of Cebu Pacific to inform their passengers of offloading baggage.
It saw airport security handling the brawl so ineptly, people feared the worst should a real

Disqualified Cinemalaya director refuses reconsideration

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Facade of the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay City where the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition is usually being held every year. (NPPA Images)Thanks, but no thanks.

That's what director Emerson Reyes told organizers of the 2012 Cinemalaya film festival and its institutional partner, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, when they offered to reconsider accepting his disqualified entry "MNL 143," with some conditions.
A few months ago, "MNL 143" was dropped from being in contention because of Reyes's "refusal to comply with competition rules governing submission of test videos of casting choices," according to a Cinemalaya press release.
Reyes had wanted to cast actors Allen Paule and Joy Viado as lead stars in his movie about an overseas Filipino worker who returns home, works as an FX cab driver and searches for his lost love. The festival committee disqualified Reyes because he ignored their advice to rethink his actors.
'Just move on'
Reyes told Yahoo! Philippines OMG! that he responded to the reconsideration in an email message to CCP Vice President Chris Millado.
"Thank you for reconsidering my film," Reyes wrote. "I

Bela gets along well with her Tito Robin, Tita BB

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Bela Padilla (Aldrine Salvador/NPPA Images)GMA Artist Center contract star Bela Padilla, one of the major  characters in the top-rating Kapuso teleserye "Hiram na Puso" is a member of the huge Padilla clan, whose most famous member is  Robin Padilla  (Bela's mom is Robin's first cousin).

Bela is proud to say she is close to the action star.
"Ay oo naman ho, and it's true, the Padilla clan is really big. Andami namin. Pag may reunion kami ang gulo-gulo pero ang saya-saya. Sometimes Tito Robin would hire a big bus to bring us to out-of-town destinations like Vigan. Masaya talaga kami pag nagkita-kita."
Robin always asks Bela how she's doing in her career, Bela said. In fact, he was in a way responsible for her signing up with GMA 7. He guested her in "Totoy Bato" which he topbilled and after that, Bela moved from the Kapamilya Network to become a Kapuso.
Bela is also close to BB Gandanghari, formerly known as Rustom.
"Sometimes I still call him 'Tito,' tapos ay Tita pala, I would say and he will just laugh," says Bela.
She goes

A legacy like no other

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Now, everyone is looking forward to "The Bourne Legacy," thanks to that two-minute trailer that has spread like wildfire on social networks and video sharing sites on Friday, June 1. The movie will open in the U.S. on August 3.

It was enough that we saw those jaw-dropping Hollywood-standard stunts, but to see it on the streets of Manila is something else.
When the cast and crew of the latest installment of the billion-dollar "Bourne" movie franchise came to Manila late last year to start filming and chose such locations as Leveriza, Ermita, Taft Rotonda and the very busy EDSA, I wondered how they would have executed it. Now that we've seen it, I am frankly amazed.

Thrilling action sequences
The motorcycle and car chase on Manila's busy thoroughfares recalls that memorable scene in "The Matrix Reloaded," except for the extra fun of seeing those familiar taxicabs and jeepneys being blasted, spun and obliterated.
Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz look as spectacular as the gritty and

Parokya ni Edgar, Kamikazee manager dies

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Richard Tan (Photo contributed by Francis Reyes)Richard Tan, manager of Parokya ni Edgar and Kamikazee, among others,  died Sunday, June 3, reports said.

He entered the ICU the day before, according to artists who took to social media to announce the news.

Richard succumbed to meningitis, a bacterial infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.

He also managed Gloc-9, Franco, Moonstar 88, Typecast, Hilera, The Youth and Chicosci under his own Backbeat Artist Management.

Didn’t compromise his artists

I remember Richard as someone who stood to the side of the stage, arms behind his back as he watched his bands with eagle-eyed focus. He would slowly and quietly walk around the venue.

When a production problem would arise, nervous producers (or even more nerve-wracked stage managers) with great fear in their hearts would muster the courage to bring the issue to the quiet but powerful man.

More often than not, Richard would fold his arms across his chest and then slowly shake his head.

He was authority

ATM: A surprisingly funny movie you’ll fall in love with

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Director Mez Tharatorn, Preechaya Pongthananikorn, and Chantawit Thanasevee at the premiere night of their comedy film titled "ATM" held at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong, east of Manila on 03 June 2012. (George Calvelo/NPPA Images)The Thai-romantic movie "ATM" is so funny, the laughter it elicits is  double, even triple of what you expect from a foreign film without subtitles. Most importantly, no bank will run after you when you go home with loads of fun from seeing this Thai-romcom.

The film is about Ms. Jib, a bank executive played by first-time movie actress Preechaya "Ice" Pongthananikom and Mr. Sua, a bank employee portrayed by Chantavit "Ter" Dhanasevi. The story tells about their secret love affair in a bank that prohibits fraternization among  employees.  Sua and Jib solve the problem by deciding to get married. But they must first resign from the bank, something neither one of them wants to do.
Things get sticky when the bank's ATM machine malfunctions by dispensing twice the amount of money its depositors withdraw. Sua and Jib decide to compete with each other in the bank's efforts to recover the money withdrawn from the defective ATM. Their personal relationship gets affected as they are sent  to a

Taylor Dayne alters hit melodies, may have displeased Filipino fans

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Taylor Dayne (Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images)It was obvious that singer Edwin McCain was the more applauded performer during the back-to-back concert with Taylor Dayne held June 1 at the Mall Of Asia Arena in Pasay, Manila.

Sure, Dayne showcased the power vocals that naturally elicited wild cheers. But by significantly altering the melodies of her hit songs with her vocal acrobatics, she somehow put the audience in an awkward position to really appreciate her performance. She did get the applause, though not as loud as the one heard for McCain after his last number. And no cries for an encore, too.
Dayne, the 50-year old American pop singer behind the hit songs "Love Will Lead You Back," "Tell It To My Heart" and "I'll Always Love You," proved to be too playful with melody runs that she sang all three songs mentioned in a way that deviated largely from their recorded versions.
The voluptuous act called her Filipino crowd "beautiful people" during her set and appreciated their presence, saying, "It means the world to me." McCain

The three aces of Boy Pick-Up The Movie

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Dennis Trillo, Ogie Alcasid and Solenn Heussaff in "Boy Pick-Up" the movie (Publicity photo) Ladies first.

Solenn Heusaff as Angel, the love interest of Boy Pick-Up who is played by Ogie Alcasid is a revelation. One of the country's most glamorous cover girls and models, she didn't mind looking "ugly" and wacky when needed in her comedy scenes.  She gladly  exaggerated her actions in the scene where she first tasted Boy Pick-up's "fish cake."  She didn't just take a bite but slobbered the "fish cake" all over her mouth and face.
Solenn made her scenes work, no matter how "corny" they could be, thus eliciting laughter from moviegoers during the film's premiere night last June 3 at SM Megamall's Cinema 9. A pretty and glamorous woman doing the "unthinkable " in a comedy is usually a sure formula for laughter  and Solenn is perfect for the role.
You have to give credit to the "buwis-buhay" effort Ogie invested in his role.  It's usually an ordeal to translate a TV show into a movie, what more if it's just a segment of "Bubble Gang" like Boy Pick-Up is. Good thing Ogie is "mucho

Bayo’s calculated mix

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So, Bayo has issued an official apology on their Facebook page about their controversial "What's Your Mix" campaign that had netizens up in arms over the accompanying manifesto that was perceived to be racist.

In part, the manifesto read: "Call it biased, but the mixing and matching of different nationalities with Filipino blood is almost a sure formula for someone beautiful and world class. We always have that fighting chance to make it in the world arena of almost all aspects."

In addition to being badly written, it spawned online fury.

100% sorry?

On the evening of June 7,  Bayo said sorry, expressing their regret "to those who have been offended or felt discriminated against." The statement also said, "We believe that being a Filipino will always make you 100% beautiful. It is unfortunate that this message got lost along the way."

But, in spite of the apology and reportedly pulling down their billboards, Bayo must be popping open champagne right now because you couldn't pay

Ely Buendia’s sister gets another shot at success

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Singer songwriter Lally Buendia also known as Domino, shakes hands with MCA Music's President Ricky Ilacad, as she joins MCA Music's top-notch artists and signs for the label. Held at the MCA Music office in Ortigas, Mandaluyong city, east of Manila on 15 May 2012. (George Calvelo/NPPA Images)She did release an album of her own in 2003, to obviously less than stellar results. But that kind of setback has not discouraged the sister of rock icon Ely Buendia to give it another go.

She used the stage name Domino back then, but the 32-year-old Lally Buendia is upbeat about her chances of reaching a wider audience this time around. She has signed with MCA Music, a major label she hopes will push her new album aggressively. She blames bad promotions as one of the reasons her debut album "Fair Tales" did not seep into public consciousness.
Lally recently inked her new MCA recording contract on the same day the label also signed up her brother's band, Pupil.  It will be recalled that Pupil was briefly without a record label when Sony Music Philippines, the band's previous label, closed shop earlier this year.
'Fresh electro pop sound'
For her first outing with MCA, Lally is working on an album featuring her compositions which insiders describe as "deep songwriting wrapped in a fresh

Still a mouthful from Iwa: ‘Kami nga ang kinawawa!’

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Iwa Moto (NPPA Images)Iwa Moto is still angry as hell.

Two days after dropping her bombshell on Jodi Sta. Maria, Iwa remains on the attack.

After alleging that Jodi had cheated on her estranged husband Pampi Lacson by having an  affair with Iwa's ex-boyfriend Mickey Ablan, Iwa continued to justify her actions in an exclusive chat with Yahoo! Philippines OMG! on Monday, June 11.

"Dahil ayokong mabulag sila sa kasinungalingan. Kami na nga kinawawa dati tapos kami pa lalabas na masama! Sobra naman 'ata yun," says Iwa.

Iwa is now the girlfriend of Pampi and had vehemently protested being labeled a "homewrecker."

Iwa further maintains that she was telling the truth in a TV interview on Saturday.

"Tell them, kung nagsisinungaling ako, bakit di ako idemanda ni Jodi ng libel? Bakit di siya nagsasalita? Kasi totoo. It's about time malaman sinong nagsisinungaling," Iwa says.

She insisted again that it was Jodi who cheated on Pampi.

"Kung matino siyang babae (Jodi),  bakit niya ipagkakalat na

The art of performing in casinos

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Bong Quintana with the Grand Finalists (Publicity photo)Performing in casinos is different from singing in other venues.  Ask Bong Quintana, AVP of PAGCOR for Entertainment. He says the audience's attention is on other things like playing in the casino.  Often, the singers don't get a packed crowd. Sometimes they sing to a crowd of two or less than 10 people only.

"It strengthens them as a performer. Their singing engagements in the Casino Filipino outlets teach them how to survive in different crowds. What's important too is that we continuously give them gigs even if the winner consumes his/her performance contract," says Bong.
That's why his office does its best in training its performers.
When Joyce Tañaña won the first "OPM@PAGCOR: Nationwide Search for the Total OPM Performer"" last year, the organizers were expected to produce an album to support her. But it didn't push through. Now that the second "OPM@PAGCOR" is culminating on June 16 at the PAGCOR Grand Theater, Airport Casino Filipino in Parañaque City, the  recording album is

Jett Pangan used to avoid singing 80s songs

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Jett Pangan (NPPA Images)Jett Pangan, child of the 80s and frontman of one of that decade's biggest bands, The Dawn, admitted that he used to dislike mainstream 80s music.

"For some reason iniiwasan namin ang mga 80s tracks back in those times," Pangan confessed during  a press meet to promote the stage musical "Rock of Ages," which, if the irony isn't enough, features a welter of 80s hits.
Pangan will play a narrator's role in a local stage adaptation of the musical, which was recently turned into a movie starring Tom Cruise.
"Rock of Ages" features Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You" and other memorable 80s hits by Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar and Steve Perry, among others.
These were the radio-friendly, mainstream songs Pangan avoided. He and the Dawn, which saw hits in "Enveloped Ideas," "Salamat" and "Iisang Bangka Tayo," were first known as a New Wave band.  Since the band was pegged to a genre, it was easy to see why they chose not to cover the power pop-rock hits of the

Zombadings in Seattle

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Martin Escudero (NPPA Images)Writer/producer Raymond Lee and writer/director Jade Castro flew to the States earlier this month to represent their film "Zombadings: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington" (Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings) at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF).

"Zombadings" was screened on May 20 and then on June 1 and 2 under SIFF 2012's Asian Crossroads program along with Marlon Rivera's "Ang Babae sa Septic Tank" and films from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Tibet and Cambodia.
The May 20 screening marks Origin8 Media Corp's film's North American premiere.
Transcending audiences
"The audience was mixed in terms of age, gender, and ethnicity. They were laughing from scene one so that was a huge relief," Raymond said in an exclusive chat with Yahoo! Philippines OMG! describing how the SIFF screenings went.
Locally released in 2011, "Zombadings" is a success story in local independent filmmaking, proving that independent

Meeting the Comedy King

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Dolphy (Mike Alquinto, NPPA Images)We got an awful scare late last week.

On my Twitter stream and Facebook news feed, so-called tributes to Comedy King Dolphy reminded me of the posts I saw on Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston before I confirmed they had passed on.
So, I had to make sure. And, as I burned the wires trying to confirm Dolphy's condition, a Facebook friend of mine instantly shared this message from the actor's son, Eric Quizon:
Son's reassuring message
"My Dad was sent to the hospital last Saturday because of pneumonia. This made him weak because of his COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). They had to attach a respirator in order to help him breathe. Currently, his vitals are all in order and he is responding to treatment very well. However, he is still under close observation and round the clock intensive care to make sure he recovers well. On behalf of our family, thank you for your love and prayers."
That was a relief. Dolphy has prevailed, the same way he has always done in an astonishing

KC named one of the world’s sexiest actresses

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Complex Magazine's online edition sees KC Concepcion as the

New York-based magazine Complex was bold and clear: it wanted to name "the next beautiful foreign woman who can sideline the exhausted A-list actresses fronting every contemporary U.S. film."

In the Pop Culture section on its June 6 post, Complex said it scoured "dozens of message boards, casting announcements, and Google searches…" and listed the "25 Sexiest International Actresses You Haven't Heard Of." Well, at least in the U.S.

Complex created the list to find out who could follow in the footsteps of Noomi Rapace, who was an unknown "pretty Swedish woman with a name we couldn't pronounce." After her breakthrough role playing Lisbeth Sander in the first version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and a supporting portrayal in "Sherlock Homes: A Game of Shadows," Rapace takes lead billing in "Prometheus," which was highly anticipated and expected to bring in the box office numbers.

On the strength of one magazine cover

Included by Complex as both the sexiest

First-ever Manila Improv Festival set

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Shaun Landry (Contributed photo_While many theatergoers have yet to discover improv or improvisational theater beyond the “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” description, Gabe Mercado’s Silly People’s Improv Theater (SPIT) has been around for almost a decade.

To celebrate its 10th year, SPIT is hosting the first-ever international improv festival in the country—the Manila Improv Festival 2012 from June 28 to July 1 to be held at Quantum Café, 9590 Kamagong St. cor. Bagtikan St., Makati City.


It will feature improv groups from Beijing, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Taichung, Cebu, and Bacolod, as well as special guests and master class instructors Tom Farnan and Shaun Landry from Los Angeles.

Shaun Landry and culturally-relevant comedy
Yahoo! Philippines OMG! had an exclusive interview with Landry through chat and she was more than happy to talk about the festival.

Gabe, SPIT and Manila Improve founder, said Shaun set up the first African- American improv group called “Oui Be Negroes.” She also founded the San Francisco Improv Festival.
 

Why Chris Botti isn’t a fan of YouTube

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Chris Botti (Publicity photo)Chris Botti's performances may be found on YouTube, but the renowned trumpeter, who performs tonight at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila, has a different view of young musicians or singers using the Internet.

"When you go to the Internet, it gives an illusion to young persons that they are close [to] being pop stars," said Chris.
He thinks that the rise of so-called YouTube sensations, whose standard for "making it" is measured in hits and shares, has stunted the pursuit of craft.
'This generation is in trouble'
"I think this generation is in real, real trouble. And the reason is that they lack the appetite for discipline and repetition, and isolation. Isolation, meaning if you're going to be a great golfer like Tiger Woods, you have to go out there and swing that golf club over and over and over again," Chris pointed out.
He added that because of the Internet, kids think that "stardom" will happen overnight.
"It doesn't happen overnight," he remarked. "And