In 10 years, it’ll be JoBros and Justin Bieber

Am I one of the last ones to know?!?

No wonder ticketing websites crashed. It's Take That, people. All freakin' five of them. Epic.

Marriage must've done wonders to Robbie Williams that he finally agreed to join his mates in this much awaited reunion of Britain's biggest boyband (in the 90s). For those who take their fangirl duties to heart, this is one of those not-to-be-missed events. Hence, the queue for tickets and the website crashdowns. Can you believe it's all for the love of seeing their favorite lads performing together again (the first in 16 years)?

Boybands are <3. Or at least those who made it big during their heyday (BSB, *NSYNC, Boyzone, Westlife). I grew up listening to their music. They made me the hopeless romantic-slash-cynic that I am today. (Haha.. kidding!) But seriously, it's quite nostalgic when music icons of my generation are now the ones staging reunions. I feel so old.

It’s Team Canon, bitches!

Harry Potter was the first fandom that introduced me to the concept of 'shipping. Imagine pairing off kids who were even too young to start a relationship on their end. Quite weird, huh? But because it was mainly the story about an eleven-year old's journey to self actualization, JK Rowling was wise enough not to dwell too much on the romantic aspects of the story. It did not stop 'shipping wars from escalating. 

Team Harmony vs Team OBHWF (One Big Happy Weasley Family) is the most prominent of all HP 'shipping wars I have encountered. Although I doubt if it would still be classified as such ("war") since the epilogue sealed those couple's fates in canon. Trust Pinoy fans (or at least those in the forum I usually visit) to twist logic into their favor. Majority of them hate Ginny because she's boring, a flirt and not a significant character in the series when deep-inside they simply can't stand the actress who plays her. Bonnie Wright is the ultimate ice queen in their eyes. Shallow, eh?

And for the life of me, why on earth are people 'shipping Daniel Radcliffe/Emma Watson IRL? DRad outside of his HP persona screams flamboyantly metro-sexual with zero appeal. Emma, I can understand. The girl is no doubt easy on the eyes. It's quite disturbing however when these people (kids?) read too much into D/E publicity photos for the movie. You are no matchmakers. Let them live their life.

/rant-over.

Good thing I'm not that invested in 'shipping stuff these days. It was a period in my life that I have happily outgrown. It was fun while it lasted. But it doesn't mean I don't believe in happily ever afters anymore. I still do.

You will be missed, Pulpo Paul…

July was quite a memorable month for me this year. Apart from my promotion, I was finally able to enjoy the World Cup frenzy which drove all (association) football nations crazy except for the Philippines. Who could forget the sleepless nights me and my sister had to endure anticipating the outcome of every La Roja match? Or my fangir-ly moments in the office as I jumped and shrieked in relief after that wonder goal by Andres Iniesta in the finals. But no one could ever argue that the biggest celebrity ever produced by WC2010 was none other than Paul the Octopus.

His predictions made him a household name and earned him the gratitude of every La Roja fan. Vicente del Bosque himself never fails to make a reference to him whenever honors are bestowed upon the team. But just a few days ago, news was released that Paul has passed on. He had lived a good life and will surely be missed come Euro 2012.

Oh my halo-halo…

 

Here’s to our new addiction! Razon’s Halo-Halo is our new comfort food everytime we’re at the mall. I know it may not be as good as the one from the original branch… but hey, at least Cebuanos are now given the chance to enjoy this delicacy. So if you’re somewhere near Ayala Center Cebu, do check them out at the 6th floor of the Metro Ayala Center.

Trailer: The King’s Speech

Monarchs always make for interesting subjects whether it be on print or film. I loved The Queen because it gave us a human side to the ever-formal Queen Elizabeth II. But I think I’ll love The King’s Speech more because the trailer itself manages to show an unorthodox storytelling on how George VI (Elizabeth II’s father) overcame his stammering. Geoffrey Rush is a delight as the speech therapist, Lionel Logue, who helps the king with his predicament. Helena Bonham-Carter is even a surprise with her less-eccentric portrayal of Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. And how can you ever go wrong with Colin Firth in the title role? For royalty enthusiasts like me, this film is a definite must-see.

Are we looking at a possible Oscar front-runner?

Mara Clara 2010: The Supporting Characters

I guess it’s no news anymore that ABS-CBN has decided to remake the famous teleserye, Mara Clara, before the year ends. Kathryn Bernardo and Julia Montes have been cast as the leads bringing much speculation as to who will portray the other characters that we’ve come to love from that show. They have huge shoes to fill. Most of those who grew up watching this series are well into their late 20s or early 30s by now. They remember the story by heart. Cramming five years’ worth of storyline into a six-month to a yearlong run is another challenge they have to hurdle.

So for those of you who are wondering who will be the new Amante and Almira del Valle, here’s the “Noon at Ngayon” video of the supporting characters courtesy of Mr. Eric John Salut.

MARA CLARA: Noon at Ngayon (Past meets Present)

Hope in humanity…

Chile has done the impossible!

All 33 miners, trapped for 69 days under the collapsed San Jose mine, have been brought back to the surface. Words cannot describe how overwhelming it was to see those men finally reunited with their families. The rescue efforts were extraordinary. Even the whole world was captivated. It is amazing how a threat of tragedy can bring out the best of the human spirit.

It was just annoying how I couldn't talk about this with any of my officemates because either they: (a) were apathetic to the news; (b) don't have television and had no idea about the plight of these miners. :( This is why I love my family though, as much as we are dysfunctional at times, we can totally talk about anything whether it be showbiz or news and current affairs.

To hell with friendlies…

La Furia Roja is back with a vengeance! Their 3-1 win against Lithuania last October 8 in Salamanca kept them right on the road towards Euro 2012. It was a shaky start for the team as most of their veterans had been sidelined due to injuries. Heck, I never even knew my dear Xabi was down with the flu! But they recovered. VDB re-grouped the guys and came back with a vengeance in the second half of the game. Kudos to Fernando Llorente and David Silva. These fellows have definitely stepped up their game since their World Cup victory. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them gets retained in the starting line-up for future NT games.

Next game is on October 12 against Scotland. Like many supporters out there, I wish that Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos will be 100% OK to join the team.

It's a hodge-podge of everything...

The much awaited teleserye starring John Lloyd Cruz and Angel Locsin finally premiered last night to the anticipation of both fans and haters. Imortal had been marketed as a Lobo sequel, but some are skeptic enough if it can surpass its predecessor in terms of quality. What was great about Lobo was that despite being branded as a Forbidden Love/Blood and Chocolate-rip off, it managed to elicit discussions in messageboards regarding the characterization and how the story was progressing. The CGI effects though leave much to be desired.

Imortal's pilot episode provided viewers a background on the centuries-old war between vampires and werewolves. Here we were introduced to Magnus (Jake Roxas), the vampire-sire of Roman (Jomari Yllana). Both men are the polar opposites of each other despite now being the same kind. Magnus is ruthless and relentless in his pursuit of vengeance against the taong-lobos whom he accuses of murdering his family. Roman, on the other hand, is dismissive and repulsed of his newfound ability. Sparing his life had meant immortality and endless years of torture being away from his loved ones.

From the premise alone, looks like John Lloyd's Mateo is poised to be the central character of the series. Angel's Lia was wisely tied up as a love interest by making her a descendant of Lyka, the central character of Lobo. Critics may argue that the plot is a hodge-podge of all vampire fiction we've come to known of late. What else is new, huh? A series always needs some point of familiarity with the audience in order to rake in the ratings.

Confessions of a Blackberry Newbie

“Hi, I'm Rose... and I'm a CrackBerry...”

We gave in. I don't text much. I don't even call anyone on my mobile unless it's necessary. So when my mom offered to buy me and my sister a new phone, I was kind of hesitant. Given that we share ownership (my sis and I) of the nifty gadget, I still get to use it mostly when I go to work.

Who knew canvassing for a new phone can be so tedious? Dad suggested a Nokia C3, but my sister found it too juvenile for her taste. So we ended up going for a BB. It scared us shitless reading of horror stories online on how "some" people had a difficult experience subscribing to BIS (Blackberry Internet Service). But thankfully, everything went smoothly for us.

It's funny though how people always assume I'm on a postpaid plan when they see my phone. Surprise, surprise... I'm on prepaid!:) Do not be afraid of going on a budget. I think it works for us since we're not really into calling and texting a lot, it's just the BIS we're after these days.