Fitness Fashion

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Things Kathryn would like to do now that she’s 18

Kapamilya star Kathryn Bernardo turns 18 on March 26, and although at first she did not like to have a grand debut party, she changed her mind when she realized how big a milestone it is. “Gusto ko lang sana mag-travel to Europe, but I finally decided to celebrate my debut para na rin sa mga fans.”

Her first 18th birthday celebration will happen today on “ASAP 19.” Her grand debut party will be held on March 29 at The Blue Leaf Filipinas. The debut “#Kathryn18 My 18th Birthday Vlog” will be aired on April 6 on ABS-CBN “Sunday’s Best.”

So now that she’s officially becoming an adult, will Kathryn agree to kissing scenes with her leading men? Will she be allowed to have a boyfriend now?

She answers both with a resounding “no.” Her mom, whom she described as a “cool mom” will still be with her anywhere she goes. Her mom will also remain as her financial manager because she feels she cannot handle her own finances yet.

So what does she want to do now that she’s becoming an adult? “I want to travel to Europe, as I’ve always wanted to explore the world. And I’d like to drive my own car now.”

Living on her own is far from Kathryn’s mind. “Hindi pa ako puwede magsarili, I want to still be with my family. Becoming an adult comes with responsibility, alam mo na ang tama at mali.”

Dubbed as the “Teen Queen,” Kathryn started out on “Goin’ Bulilit” when she was seven and went on to appear on “Mara Clara,” “Princess And I” and “Got To Believe.”

Kathryn is very much involved with the preparation of her debut. She had a hand on the theme and motif (which is black, white and pink). Her two gowns are designed by Francis Libiran and Vania Ramoff.

Kathryn said her onscreen love team Daniel Padilla volunteered to be her escort, and he will also be her last dance.

Highlights of her debut are the traditional 18 Roses and 18 Candles where most of her friends in and out of showbiz will take part, including Teodoro Bernardo, Kevin Carlo Bernardo, Lino Cayetano, Neil Coleta, Robi Domingo, Dominique Roque, Khalil Ramos, John Manalo, Enrique Gil, Jhong Hilario, Steven Fermo, Joshua Dionisio, John Valle, Mike Bawa, Marco Alcantara, Dominic Ochoa, Ian Veneracion and Daniel Padilla. In the 18 Candles rite are Julia Montes, Direk Cathy Garcia-Molina, Gretchen Barretto and Kris Aquino.

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Lee Cooper At The Great British Festival

European denim brand Lee Cooper, made its way to Manila in August 2012 and has rocked and rolled the Philippine fashion industry since.

Just recently, it sponsored the Great British Festival. To this end, a UK-inspired booth was set up at the Bonifacio High Street showcasing the best of Lee Cooper’s denim collection from March 7 to 9. The booth was designed with iconic structures from London, including a miniature

London Tower and models dressed up like Royal Guards.

Famous personalities like British Ambassador to the Philippines, H.E. Asif Anwar Ahmad and actor and stand-up comic Eri Neeman, had their photos taken at the booth.

Just in time for summer, Lee Cooper has released its newest British Carnival and British seaside collection.

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Il Divo, Lea Enchant Newport Audience

The top multinational operatic-pop quartet, Il Divo, together with our very own Lea Salonga, enchanted Filipino fans when they performed together at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at Resorts World Manila last March 19.

The sold-out concert was part of Il Divo’s “A Musical Affair” world tour, in celebration of their 10th anniversary in the music industry.

Carlos, Sebastian, Urs and David sang their versions of Broadway hits “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina,” “Somewhere,” “Can You Feel The Love Tonight?” and “The Impossible Dream,” among others. Lea rendered “Defying Gravity,” “I Dreamed A Dream” and “On My Own.” She also did “A Whole New World,” with the group, as with “The Music Of The Night” and the encore, “Time To Say Goodbye.”

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, March 23, go to former Manila Vice Mayor Danny Lacuna, Margarita A. Fores, Marivic A. Gancayco, Manny Cinco, Charo Jalandoni, Tita Basa, Monica Casta, Alex Ongoco, Marivic Alvarado, Sandra Jean P. Melicor, Flor Liam, Dely Lim, Alex Wong, Tiya Pusit, Lily Bruno-Lagasca, Vicenta Bonnin, Ma. Teresa Araneta Lopa, PAF pilot Lt. Mario Mendoza Jr., Georgina Sevilla Flores, Andie Babante, Atty. Gaby Concepcion, PR man Chris Cahilig, Jeg Janeo, Jade Mark Ibanez, Lowella Imperial and actor Geoff Eigenmann… Happy christening Brent Andrei…Belated b-day greetings to Onel Picones (March 21), Annie Baladad (March 19), Estrelita Filio (Feb. 24), Marcus Timothy F. Llarena (Feb. 23), Hanabishi S. Roma (Feb. 15)…Congratulations to Mikaella Jaymee Gapasin, 1st honor, preparatory level of Regina Coeli Education Center Foundation. Greetings from your father and mother, and to the siblings…Condolence to the family of Nestor R. David, who passed away last March 19…Today, 6:30 p.m. on GMA News TV “Ang Pinaka” brings you part 16 of its series of monthly food trips… Now on its 12th season, TV5’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” will feature LA Tenorio and Larry Fonacier. Who will bring home the P2 million grand prize for their chosen charity, Hope For Coby?…

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Abbamania at the PICC tonight

The ABBA tribute group from Europe, Abbamania, who did a successful concert here a year ago, is back for a series of performances, courtesy of Viva Live Inc. and Redstone Media Productions.

Their local shows kicked off with a performance at the Solaire Resort & Casino last night. Tonight, the group will perform at the Plenary Hall of the Philippines International Convention Center (PICC). This will be followed by performances at the Baguio Country Club in Baguio City on March 25, Waterfront, Cebu City Hotel and Casino on March 27, L.L. Macias Sports and Cultural Center in Dumaguete City on March 28 and at the Lagao Gym in General Santos City on March 30.

Abbamania was formed in 1998. The group has performed in sold out concerts in Denmark, England, Portugal, Scotland, Belgium, France, Ireland, Germany and other parts of the world. The band includes Ewa Scott, Sharon Fehlberg, Steven Galert, Adam Robertson, Bryan Smith, Gareth Whitehead and Lee Brady.

Abbamania approximates the performance of the real ABBA, a group formed by Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad in the early ’70s and broke into big time after winning the Grand Prix at the Eurovision Song Festival with the song “Waterloo.”

Their other hits include “Money Money,” “Take A Chance On Me,” “One Last Summer,” “The Winner Takes It All,” “Knowing Me Knowing You,” “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” “Thank You For The Music” and many others.

The official partners of Abbamania are PBO, Viva Channel, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, My Movie Channel, RTL-CBS Entertainment, the Manila Bulletin, 105.1 Crossover, iFM 93.9, Manila Concert Scene, Philippine Concerts, ClickTheCity and Juice ph.

Special thanks goes out to Bus TV, to the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines (OAAP), Graphitek and to Mobeline Car Charter Services. The official Abbamania residence while in Manila is Solaire Resort & Casino.

Tickets to the PICC leg are available at Ticketnet, SM Tickets, Ticketworld, PICC and Viva Concerts.

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‘Celebrity Dance Battle’ Premieres On TV5

TV5 premieres “Celebrity Dance Battle” tonight at 7:45 p.m. To be hosted by the “Dance Goddess of Philippine Television,” Lucy Torres-Gomez, the show pits celebrities in a dance showdown. Co-hosting are NCAA heartthrobs Anthony and David Semerad, also known as the Semerad Twins.

At the recent press conference to launch the show, a dance competition was held among the entertainment press, with Rey Pumaloy and John Fontanilla emerging as winners, followed by Rommel Placente and Mildred Bacud (second placer) and Mercy Lejarde and partner (3rd placer).

The first batch of celebrity contestants who will appear on the show are PBA star Gary David, actress-host Valerie Concepcion, former beauty queen Priscilla Meirelles and Miss International Queen 2012 titleholder Kevin Balot.

The judges are choreographer and dance guru Douglas Nierras, international ballroom professional and dance sport Olympian Edna Ledesma, actress-host and dance diva G Toengi and professional model and international celebrity Allison Harvard.

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Superbods 2014 Celebrates Transformations

The Century Tuna Superbods is back, and it will be bigger, sexier and hotter than ever. The highlight of the summer event will be the stunning transformations of Century Tuna’s newest endorser, John Lloyd Cruz, who joins Anne Curtis in the quest for a healthier and sexier body.

For six weeks, the matinee idol will undergo the Superbods Diet and Workout Plan designed by top nutritionist Nadine Tengxo and fitness trainer Coach Jim Saret.

Greg Banzon, GM of Century Pacific Food Inc. said “We all know that Century Tuna Superbods is one of the most awaited summer events in the country and this year we did our best to offer something new. By presenting John Lloyd as a Superbod, we want to inspire our loyal customers to take their own journey towards health and fitness.”

John Lloyd said, “I’m very thankful that Century Tuna chose me for this challenge. It’s inspiring because when I turned 30, my wish for myself is to be healthy. With this challenge, I am really trying to achieve a 360-degree turn in my lifestyle. My body is my tool as an actor, and the roles I take are affected by my physique.”

Meanwhile, John Lloyd’s co-endorser Anne shared, “It’s always a pleasure to represent a product that you truly believe in that’s why I’m very happy and grateful to be chosen as Century Tuna’s endorser again. I also feel much honored to be given the opportunity to bring the message of health and fitness to more people through Century Tuna.”

Members of the Boys Night Out – DJs Slick Rick, Tony Toni and Sam YG – were also launched as this year’s celebrity challengers who will also undergo the six-week workout program found in the Century Superbod official website.

Century Tuna Superbods 2014 will happen on April 25 to 27 in Boracay.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, March 22, go to Atty. Ed Oliva, Sen. Pia Cayetano, Mrs. Filomena Batungbacal, Anya Katigbak, Beverly T. Alforque, Frederick Govaert, Marta Josephine Lea Kramer, Cherry Mapua Osmena, Fr. Elias Tanopo, Mrs. Lydia Loyola, and Baby Naidas Zapata… Happy wedding anniversary to Senator Alan Peter and Taguig City Mayor Laarni Cayetano, Olive and Roel Carlos, Ray and Helen Sampilo of Queens Village, New York… Belated birthday greetings to Dudong Ibarrita, Arjay Orciga and Jasmine Guevarra (March 16), Darius Paulme of Imus, Cavite (Feb. 18), Andrew S. Roma (Jan. 28) and Nancy Claudia (March 19)…

Friday, March 21, 2014

Controversy-free UAAP Season 77 eyed

Hoping for a smoother run, the UAAP plans to tackle some of its contentious rules before Season 77 of the country’s premier collegiate league unfolds on July 12.

The UAAP Board is set to meet in April to discuss, among others, the controversial players’ residency rule, the policy on foreign players and changes in the sports calendar.

New president Carmelita Mateo of host University of the East said during the hosting turnover ceremony on Wednesday night that the league looks forward to a year “without any controversies.”

“We’re revisiting a lot of the rules,” said Ricky Palou, Ateneo’s representative to the UAAP Board. “We also heard that Sen. Pia Cayetano has filed a bill in the Senate, a Magna Carta for Student-Athletes.”

Cayetano filed House Bill 2166 last week that aims to protect student-athletes “from any discriminatory policy that may restrict their participation in any field of amateur sports.”

Last year, Cayetano summoned the league board to a hearing to discuss the two-year residency rule, which requires UAAP high school players transferring to a member-school for college to sit out for two years.

University of the Philippines’ rookie swimmer Mikee Bartolome, who competed for University of Santo Tomas in high school, also went to the courts last season and obtained a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that stopped the league from implementing the rule.

Meanwhile, the league is proposing a juniors calendar separate from the seniors basketball and volleyball competitions.

The planned schedule will have the seniors basketball played in the first semester (July to October) and the juniors in the second (November to March), while juniors volleyball will be played first and the seniors event in the second semester.

“We’re finalizing some rule changes, but we’ll talk about it in the annual board meeting,” said league secretary treasurer Rod Roque.

In basketball, Roque said local cage legend and UE alumnus Robert Jaworski is among the 12 candidates for commissioner this season along with Joe Lipa, Noli Eala, Chino Trinidad, Bong Ramos, Bai Cristobal and Tito Varela.

“These are some of the names suggested, we’ll be coming up with a short list,” said Roque.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Promising actors in ‘Diary Ng Panget’

Andre Paras was quite nervous during the first shooting day of the upcoming movie “Diary Ng Panget.” Nevertheless, the fun-loving 18-year-old said, “But I easily recovered, my role being like that of a ‘kenkoy,’ a funny character.”

In “Diary Ng Panget,” Andre plays the role of Chad, a handsome and sensitive student of Wilford Academy, a school for beautiful, smart but mostly snobbish students. “I did not need to act, I just played myself,” Andre related.

Andre joined an acting workshop for his first ever movie role. “Perhaps I can make acting as my career, do action movies, but for now, I would like to do comedy roles. Comedy is natural for me,” he said.

He is determined to finish his college course. “That’s my promise to my parents. I need a diploma, a fall back. When you are finished with acting, you have a sure place to go.”

In the film, Andre is paired with Yassi Pressman, who plays beautiful, down-to-earth Lori. “My character is so in love with Lori that he even had to enlist the help of Eya (played by Nadine Lustre),” Andre related.

Eya, an ordinary-looking but hard working girl, needs a second job to sustain her expenses though she is a scholar at the Wilford Academy. She gets a job as the personal maid of Cross Sanford (James Reid), the arrogant son of a multi-millionaire businessman, who is very much in love with Lori.

Cross dumps so much on Eya. He does not care about her at all. In return, Eya calls Cross “panget,” or ugly.

Life becomes brighter for Eya when she meets Chad and Lory. But will she be able to free herself from Cross? Or would she fall in love with him instead?

“Diary Ng Panget,” based on 19-year-old Pinay fiction writer Denny’s Wattpad.com hit and 2013’s best-selling serialized novel of the same title, is directed by Andoy Ranay and written by award-winning Mel del Rosario.

It is Viva Films’ second attempt at revolutionizing local filmmaking via adaptations of favorite literary pieces.

“Diary Ng Panget” opens on April 2 in local theaters.

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Last Performance For ‘Bonifacio: Isang Sarsuwela’

Lawyer-actor Vince Tañada, president and artistic director of Philippine Stagers Foundation, announces the last performance of “Bonifacio: Isang Sarsuwela,” a three-act musical about the life of the founder of the Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio.

After a 10-month run all over the country with a total of 452 performances, breaking box-office records, Philippine Stagers Foundation is ending its 12th season with an invitational gala performance of the musical to be held at the Adamson Theater at Adamson University, Manila on March 22 at 5 p.m.

“The musical honors the Great Plebeian in songs and dances with the purpose of utilizing the power of the arts in molding the minds and inspiring the hearts of our youth,” Vince said.

Vince is also planning to re-stage “Ang Bangkay,” his Palanca Award winning play this summer.

He also finished filming his second indie movie “Esoterica Manila,” directed by Elwood Perez, who also directed his first indie movie “Otso.”

His performance in “Otso,” which he wrote in collaboration with Direk Elwood, won for Vince the Best New Movie Actor Award at the PMPC Star Awards for Movies.

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Fundraising Event Set

“Fans On The Ramp,” featuring the hand fans collection of Filipino-Spanish Maria May Pioquinto Montealto, will be held on March 22 at 2 p.m. at the Asociación Benéfico Cultural para la Promoción de Filipinas y Espana (ASPROFIL ) Center at the Town and Country Heights Subdivision, in Brgy. San. Luis, Antipolo City.

Montealto, who hails from Iloilo, founded ASPROFIL in 1995 as a non-profit association legally registered at the National Association Registry Office in Madrid, Spain, with the aim of promoting Filipino values, tourism trade, culture and the good image of the Philippines while helping protect the rights of poor children and their families and abandoned old people.

The association’s most important project is the construction of the ASPROFIL Center, the groundbreaking of which was held in February 2006 and attended by Mayor Miguel Angel Camara, City Tourism Councilor Isabel Valcárcel and Councilor Remigio Lopez who all traveled to Manila all the way from Spain.

ASPROFIL will also give children free reading and writing lessons in Brgy. San Luis, as well as occupational training for adults in cooking, embroidery, craftwork and others.

Proceeds from the “Fans On The Ramp” will be used to fence the ASPROFIL Center.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, March 21, go to former Central Bank Gov. Gabby Singson, Ben Pangilinan, Carmita Francisco, Francis Sacay, Estela F. Nabong, Venus Duran Robinson, Len Aligayo, Charity Yude-Salvador, Yulo Soliano, Anthony Yupangco, Gerald Gapud Pongpong, Lilia Henson Cruz, Marlili Villegas, Mon Crespo, Junne Quintana, Jeron Teng and Lotlot de Leon…