Photo from forum.abs-cbn.com

THE FIRST ever drama series that is a collaboration between two production oufits in two different countries in Asia will soon hit Philippine TV.

Produced by ABS-CBN (Philippines) and Double Vision (Malaysia), "Kahit Isang Saglit" is top billed by Filipino actor Jericho Rosales and Malaysian model Carmen Soo. Scenes were shot both in Malaysia and in the Philippines and the drama will also be aired in the two countries.

The title was changed to "Kahit Isang Saglit" in honor of the late Director Gilbert Perez, who died while the rpoject is still in the works. (Kahit Isang Saglit was a movies directed by Perez that starred Judy Ann Santos and Piolo Pascual.) But the drama series is, of course, not a TV adaptation of the said movie of the same title. Now, the series is the hands of Jerry Lopez-Sineneng.

Here's the trailer of Kahit Isang Saglit:

THE SOUTH is really a home of talents. General Santos, for one, has produced the world famous boxer, Manny Pacquiao. And now, we have a very young and very talented singer, 9-year-old Philip Cesar Nadela.

He's really good that he was, in fact, awarded Most Outstanding Scholar.

Here's a video of one of his performances on Pinoy Dream Academy Little Dreamers:

Philip already has plenty of supporters. He's got an official website here. And a friendster account here.

So, if you want Philip to become the Grand Star Little Dreamer, keep supporting him!

I OPTED to watch a few shows on this new TV channel before actually blogging about it and yes, some of their shows are really good. Here are two of the shows that I found good.

Let's start with mp3, a sunday afternoon entertainment. It's different from ASAP and SOP because it's not shown live but it has other segments like profile interviews and showbiz bits. It's hosted by Valeen Montenegro and Paolo Valenciano. It's an alternative to ASAP and SOP for the younger music lovers.

Next is TEN, or The Evening News, which I believe revolutionized news. It's a countdown of the day's top stories, presented in a casual manner. And in Taglish. That makes it a radical shift from the stiff and so formal evening news of other stations. It has less clutter, making each story clear. It's the only news program on Philippine TV that will give a good night rest. It's really worth staying late in the night for.

I'm also watching out for Lip Gloss the local adaptation of the hit US TV series, Gossip Girl, which is said to be top-billed by Cheska Ortega, Sam Conception, and Mikee Lee of Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition 1. Laurice Guillen directs this show.

Best of luck for TV5!

ANYONE HERE watching Project Runway Philippines on etc? Raise your hands.

Please take a look at how well Ivan Raborar, 23 is peforming. Project Runway is a search for the most promising fashion designers in the Philippines. You can view the previous episodes here.

If you think he deserves to be one of te Philippines' top fashion designer, please vote for him here.

He is being described as the fast worker in the show. He finishes his tasks very quickly. I know him becasue he is from South Cotabato where I studied. He designed the barong I wore in one of the contests back in college.

If you are also from Mindanao please show your support by voting for him. It takes only a few seconds. Vote for Ivan Raborar on Project Runway Philippines.

THIS IS probabaly Laarni's most awaited performance. This coming Saturday, our very own southern belter Laarni is going to sing The Prayer with Jed Madela.

This song is said to be the acid test for really good singers. There have been many versions of it by different artists. There was Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion's, Josh Groban and Charlotte Church's, and recently, our very own Charice Pempengco sang it with Andrea Bocelli in Italy.

Can Laarni stand out with this song? It's extremely difficult I guess, this time, for her to be the star scholar again, given this song. God bless her.

Meanwhile, here's a youtube video of her 9th Gala Night performance, a counterpointing with Bugoy. Bugoy sang Back at One while Laarni sang On The Wings of Love:

AFTER THE bad joke that Eat Bulaga host Joey de Leon threw against Pokwang of Wowowee, Willie Revillame finally expressed his sentiments in support to the lady co-host, whose family is said to have already been suffering from mockery due to de Leon's ill-considered joke.

In his speech, he mentioned the hardships Pokwang went through before she became a popular comedienne in the country. Here is a video from youtube:

This is not the first time that conflict arose between the hosts of two competing noontime shows. From time to time, they throw bitter statements at each other, which may be due to the ratings game.

If you have missed the happenings, here's a video of Joey de Leon's joke:

As for me, we all really have to be careful about we say as media personalities. We are talking to varied audiences, thus, we get varied connotations everytime. We can make jokes about people we are working with, making the subject understand why is it being done. For Bubble Gang peeps, for example, they are making funny jokes about the appearances of their cast because they know that people enjoy it. The cast understands that because they know that it helps glue their audience on the show and that it is necessary to do it.

On Joey de Leon against Pokwang, on the other hand, is another story. Joey de Leon crossed the border so he has to expect a negative reaction. It insinuates battle against personalities because it would appear as a tirade against the show (Wowowee) as whole, because they are in different camps.

That's all. A lesson learned here.

THE GORGEOUS Bea Alonzo transforms into an ugly but intelligent woman working in a fashion design comapany, Eco Moda, for yet another Pinoy remake of an international drama series, i ♥ Betty la fea (pronounced I Love Betty La Fea) on ABS-CBN.

i ♥ Betty la fea is top-billed by big names in the Philippine showbiz industry. Here's the list of the show's cast from wikipedia:

THE PRODUCTION design of ABS-CBN's newest fantaserye, DYOSA starring Anne Curtis is enticing. The musical score, theme song, and post-production are great. Kids at home really watch out for every episode of it. But what got my attention is the theme song, Himig ng Pag-ibig. originally sung by ASIN, and given a different interpretation by Yeng Constantino for the primetime series.

So here is the video and lyrics of DYOSA's theme song:







Himig ng Pag-ibig
by Yeng Constantino

Hoo hoo-hoo hoo-hoo
Hoh hoh-hoo hoo-hoo

Sa pagsapit ng dilim ako'y naghihintay pa rin
Sa iyong maagang pagdating
Pagkat ako'y nababalisa kung 'di ka kapiling
Bawat sandali mahalaga sa atin.

Tulad ng ibong malaya ang pag-ibig natin
Tulad ng langit na kay sarap marating
Ang bawat tibok ng puso'y kay sarap damhin
Tulad ng himig na kay sarap awitin.

[Chorus 1:]
[Nan nanana nan nanana nan nanana nan nana]
[Nana nana nana nana]
[Nan nanana nan nanana na]
[Nana nana na]
[Nan nanana nan nanana nan nanana nan nana]
[Nana nana nana nana]
[Nan nanana nan nanana na]
[Nana nana na]

At ngayong ikaw ay nagbalik sa aking piling
Luha ng pag-ibig kay sarap haplusin
Tulad ng tubig sa batis hinahagkan ng hangin
Pag-ibig ang ilaw sa buhay natin.

Tulad ng ibong malaya ang pag-ibig natin
[Ang ibong malaya]
Tulad ng la-ngit na kay sarap marating
[Langit man ay na---is niyang marating]
Ang bawat tibok ng puso'y kay sarap damhin
[Ang tibok ng puso]
Tulad ng himig ng pag-ibig natin.
[Tulad ng himig ng pag-ibig]

[Chorus 2:]
La lala lala
[Na na na na na na nana]
[Nana nana nana nana]
La lala lala
[Na na na na na nanana]
[Nana nana na]
La la la la la la la

THOSE OF you in Manila and those who can afford a seat at the CCP must buy your tickets now, as they sell faster than hotcakes, or esle you won't be able to catch Lea Salonga's performance as the main character in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, which runs from August 13-24.

After her succesful performance as Fantine in Les Miserables, Lea mesmerizes the orient with her 30-week Cinderella Asian Tour produced by Broadway Asia Entertainment.

Ticket prices are as follows:
Pareterre Box and Premiere Circle P 7, 000
Orchestra Center P 4, 000
Lower Box P 3, 000
Orchestra Side P 2, 500

For ticket inquiries, please call (63 2) 891-9999 You might also want to check this site.

I HAVE no reason now really to follow what's going on in Pinoy Idol. I only watched Pinoy Idol because of Kid Camaya who is a fellow AYLC alumnus. Now that he's booted out, I can announce to the whole world how crappy the show is.

Here is a video of Kid Camaya's performance on their Greatest Performance of My Life night. He soulfully sang Careless Whisper:


Darryl Celis also got kicked out. So many people were pissed off by this. The more talented ones on the show were voted off. I think it's no longer a competition. Ram Chavez will surely win this time. Whatever.

I don't think that Pinoy Idol measures up to the standards of the Idol franchise. From the judges, the host, the set, and the results, everything about it is so crappy. I think it was reduced to a mere Pinoy Pop Superstar. I'm just sad about the talented contestants who aimed for popularity. They should have joined other REAL competitions that will give them what they deserve.

Watch the full episode HERE.

THE LAST gala performance night had been very unfair on the part of Laarni. She should not have been under probation. She did a lot better than the other scholars inside the academy.

Here are the reasons why I think it was very unfair for Laarni:

First, the song choice was biased in favor of Liezel. Liezel was made to sing the Beyonce hit, Listen, which is perfect for her because of the association that people are inclined to make between the two. Laarni, on the other hand, was made to sing an April Boy Regino classic with a very difficult vocal arrangement.




Second, she was made to sing another difficult song, And I am Telling You. This time, against Poy. How could she concentrate on her performance if she had to master two difficult songs against very good singers.



I really think that some kind of manipulation is going on. The people behind PDA, I think, do not like Laarni because of her attitude. But isn't the show looking for talents, not angels? Yeah, attitude is a big thing but why don't they do something to help Laarni cope, instead? I could understand Laarni's behavior. She doesn't deserve to be condemned because of her attitude. She would learn in time.

Let's support Laarni! Type PDA LAARNI and send to 2331 for Globe, TM, and Sun Cellular subcribers, and 231 for Smart, Talk n Text, and Addict Mobile subscribers. You may also vote online HERE.