Mint Riffs Level 4: A Musical at the Music Museum

This is the setup for Level 4, a show in Music Museum this evening produced by the people from Mint Riffs, the local glee club of Mint college (Meridian International) destined to hone young, promising, up and coming OPM artists in the Philippines. I bought tickets to the show and was invited by Mikoy Morales, another one of GMA Artist Center's promising singers/artist. He's not just performing but actually a musical director here, he was proud to wear this among his many hats. I didn't know what to expect as I was a little clueless about the whole thing (although I found out later they've been doing this for 4 years), but I was sure it would involve singing as I know Mikoy's a very spirited one. I think most of the people who went there were family and friends of the performers. They came in throngs, but I was able to spot Thea Tolentino while I was in the entrance earlier. Then the show started.

It's a musical production, it's not as flawless as you may understand. Well chosen songs though, a mix of 80's, 90's and current tunes. As for choreography, still had a few hits and misses, but for a school production this is already a good shot. I saw a few who could pass off as professional singers. Here's a sample, one of their songs You Gotta Be is my personal favorite. Some hits and misses, but twas nice though and refreshing to hear that from Millennials.

I like the short medley done by the girls, the one with the glasses on the other side of this shot impressed me most. She did so many things in the event that would put wow in the conversations in the audience. She should think about seriously making singing a career.

The guys in the other hand made efforts and did good in the "performance" aspect of the show. It was entertaining enough to not get anyone in trouble. They sang girl band songs btw, which was a little crazy. From Beyonce, Destiny's Child, things like that was easy lol. I also liked the "hugot" portion, the lines were heartfelt.

Anyway, we, the parents, relatives, friends and fans in the audience had fun. That's what's important. I mean most of you are just beginning, and this was testament that you can achieve anything if you put your heart into it. You should pat yourself on the back, you did REALLY good.

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Princess Punzalan Comes Back in "The Story of Us"

She's been working so hard, and she's been missed. Her role as Selena made her one of the most remarkable villains in the TV industry. She's back, and will be Clodette in the high rating show of Kim Chiu and Xian Lim "The Story of Us". 

"When I was sent the character sketch, I was excited as it's been 15 years. It's drama, I'm a villain but it's a different take. It was too long, my last movie was with Maricel and Piolo in Mila. 

When we shot the scenes in the US, I didn't really mind as acting is in my first love. Even if I don't have sleep, even if I didn't have pay, it was really different if you are doing your passion. I wanted to make my marriage work, so I did my best to immerse myself in his culture, so I could appreciate him more. I don't have the script yet as the Mom of Bryan. So I'm not sure until when I'm staying here. For the first 6 months, we were wondering what I'm going to do in the US. I finished my studies and am now a registered nurse in the US. It was a long time before I got it, I wanted to be a doctor, there was something in me that if there's something I need to do, I need to be nurturing. I realized, I wasn't young anymore and it might take me years to finish it. The next best thing was to be a nurse so I did it. Since it's going to be a different character, I thought of how to make it different than Selena. I'm very hands on on becoming a mother, you have to be independent in the US, it was challenging but I had to be self reliant. I needed to work at home a lot, everything, I had to wear different hats as it was challenging. My daughter is turning 2, so you know how that is. 

I enjoyed working with Kim, Xian and Bryan. When they are taping, they really had to do it seriously, but it's refreshing to see young people be sserious in their craft. In the US, I always run around the bush telling people about things but I learned to be frank and direct. In 2013, I also went to Yolanda stricken provinces because I wanted to help so I sought the help of CBS ASIA and they flew me there as a registered nurse. I saw corpses, food and water was scarce and I couldn't even take a bath. For me, it was the most meaningful birthday that I've ever had.  You need to find your passion, you need to find that thing that you can do and enjoy it even without pay. Working in the Philippines, I missed the people, when you go to work and they become a part of your life, it's golden!"

You'll see Clodette Lowery in "The Story of Us" together with Bryan Santos, Kim Chiu, and Xian Lim. It will air right after Dolce Amore, TiKoy fans should expect a lot of roadblocks in their relationship and this isn't going to be smooth sailing. You don't have to feel threatened but she said "Not everything that's together when you start will stay forever!" then she did her signature laugh! :) 

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast!

Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice

If you're still asking yourself about watching or not watching Batman vs Superman, then you're crazy. This installment has been ridiculed and battered in reviews, but I beg to disagree. For me, it's quite good. There are some flaws, but it's negligible considering how big this undertaking is. I mean, if you're going to tell a story about the two biggest heroes in DC Universe. I'm a big fan of the bat, but it doesn't cloud my judgement on how a movie is. It was good, if you don't trust the ratings, you should take it from the fans and how it's doing well in the movie houses. Just take a look at the advanced screening I attended courtesy of Smart. They even asked us to choose sides.

I'd stick with my alter ego. There were a few lapses in the fight scenes, but I assure you Henry Cavill was a good Superman. Ben Affleck isn't my first choice for the bat, but he's quite charming. Gal Gadot is flawless and I can't wait to see her own movie. Jesse Eisenberg is another flaw, you can't really detach him from his other roles in the past, that's why he's hated by most of the people who watched it. Other stars like Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Callan Mulvey, Tao Okamoto, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane are integral parts of the story. It's good. This is Directed by Zack Snyder, who apparently didn't get the nod on story telling. A fan should have done this I suppose. It's showing now on theaters and YOU should never miss it for the world or the reviews.

Thanks to Smart who got is to watch it last week! It was AWESOME!

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Playboy Philippines: The International Issue Released

Having been able to get the magazine, read and seen was enough for me, but getting to see the actual international playmates was just really off the charts. Yes they were here, in the flesh during the intimate meet and greet session at the Brewery at the Palace in BGC. I must say, I've already seen some of them during a runway event in Solaire a couple of years ago and that time I couldn't believe how much we've been lucky to have them in the country. Dragging along my guy friend, we braved the metro's traffic and sat with a couple more men who wanted to catch a glimpse of gorgeous Holly Wolf, Rebecca Boggiano and CJ Sparxxx.

These playmates looked so sultry in this year's first cover. I got a sense of how each one of them behaved during the meet and greet. They were already being mobbed, but they didn't mind, I'm sure they're kinda used to the testosterone levels that exists there. Holly Wolf was nice, she asked me not to add light too much since it was going to be too harsh on photos. That tells me how meticulous she is about details, which matters in my books. She's also been featured in different Playboy countries and garnered a few Playmate of the Year titles here and there. 

Rebecca Boggiano is this issues Playmate of the Month. Her spread was awesome and when she came out of the van earlier that evening, I couldn't stop looking at her. She was stunning, no surprise though as she was a former Miss Universe Australia finalist. I would marry her if she asked me ha-ha! Then there's Ms. CJ Sparxxx, who was super nice. With that body and personality, I wouldn't be surprised if there were tons of men that would fall for her. She's that kind that gets a long with men easily, no frills, no fuss, just her. I heard they're also doing another shoot in her favorite place, the beach of which we have a LOT of in the Philippines. Playboy Philippines will be obliging us with a feature again for that, so here's a THANK YOU in advanced. I simply LOVE them all!

Oh and if that's not enough, also featured in the magazine are Ladies who Ink. Some of the country's most gorgeous women clad in ink shot quite artistically. Loved that part too. Make sure you get a copy of The International Issue from major bookstores, magazine stands nationwide. 

Thank you Holly, Beck and Cj for having my copy signed! Thank you so much for being so nice too! Thank you also to Playboy Philippines for letting me cover your event. See you next issue perhaps? :)

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