R&B royalties, anyone?

We first heard of Kris Lawrence being called “prince of local R&B” last month when he performed at the Manila wedding reception of Chiz Escudero and Heart Evangelista. And that left some scribes asking what happened to JayR who used to have that moniker.

The Vhong Navarro saga continues

Photo credit http://www.jennibailey.com/

LAST Wednesday, showbiz world woke up to another development that thickens the plot of the scandal that dragged the name of Vhong Navarro. Like a teleserye nearing its climax, the twist of events makes people drawn into the story that even national issues, in terms of media mileage, pale in comparison.

MMFF 2013: There’s cash in trash

There’s a serious gap between the taste of the movie critics and the general public. Case in point, albeit negative reviews of film entries swamped all media platforms, the Metro Manila Film Festival still ended a massive success.

Three times the fun: Wowowillie vs It’s Showtime vs Eat Bulaga

Not so long ago, Willie Revillame said he would never compete against the country’s longest- running noontime show ever again, Fast-forward to Jan. 26. TV5’s Wowowillie debuted in a nearly five-hour spectacle beginning at quarter to 12 noon.

Rendezvous of Original Pinoy Music icons

If loud cheers and applause were the only gauge of someone’s popularity, then it is safe to say that Dulce and Piolo Pascual were the most popular Original Pinoy Music singers that performed on June 16 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Young listeners’ music

Some people invariably describe rock metal music as nothing but noise. Disturbing, incomprehensible, loud and lacks harmony are some of few overused adjectives used to describe this genre, which audience generally belongs to the younger age group.

Rock band Slapshock, which is known for its distinctly earsplitting sound, knows for a fact that when somebody doesn’t like its music, it means that the person has a different preference. For 15 years now, Slapshock has been the center of music critics who find its music unpleasant.

Who is No. 1 if Kapuso Network is second best?

How do we gauge a local network so we can call it the best television station? Is it on the number of awards it has received throughout the years, the number of its top-rating shows, or the data that indicate its revenue?

The answer differs on whom you would ask first. Additionally, someone will not use any numerical data to support his answer, rather he will respond depending on which channel he patronizes. If you happen to speak with a diehard Kapamilya, the answer of course is ABS-CBN, and if you chanced upon a loyal Kapuso, without thinking twice, it is GMA Network. However, if you would ask the Philippine Movie Press Club, its members will have a unanimous answer.

Deglamorizing Gerald Anderson

Kapamilya network’s golden boy Gerald Anderson is a fine-looking actor. Known for his sleek image and boy-next-door fashion sense, he dresses well when out in public and his hair is neatly styled. But in the new series Budoy, Gerald ditches the cosmo look and dresses down for the role he considers his most challenging yet.

In the first episodes of Budoy, Gerald is seen sporting a messy hairstyle as if he hasn’t combed his hair for days. His teeth are protruded and yellowish and he dons a one size bigger t-shirt matched with a pair of pants cut right above his ankle.

Battle of the ‘tweens’: From T.G.I.S. vs Gimik to Tween Hearts vs Growing Up

by Nickie Wang

Some of the brightest names in show business today started out as part of teen-oriented shows and programs. And we can still identify those who were products of GMA-7’s T.G.I.S. or ABS-CBN’s Gimik, two teen drama shows that were very popular back then.

Is radio a dying medium?

by Nickie Wang

Back in college, we were taught that radio is the theater of the mind because tuning in a radio program involves a lot of imagination. We rely on sounds to create pictures of what we hear from it so listeners are able to think and be attentive—a good exercise for our brain cells.

Pinoy Pride: Filipinos on the global stage

by Nickie Wang

Whether it’s in sports, fashion, entertainment or performing arts, there are Filipinos who excel and make indelible marks in their chosen field. And what makes their countrymen rally behind them is their being proud of their roots.

CINEMALAYA 2011: A fact hidden behind Laurice Guillen’s Maskara

Seasoned actor Roberto (Tirso Cruz III) and acting instructor Ellen (Sharmaine Buencamino) were married for a long time. They had a teenage daughter. But how come the wife did not learn of anything about the husband’s past, that he had a child prior to their marriage? That’s fiction, of course.

Ppop: Another backward step for Pinoy pop

by Nickie Wang

The Philippines is greatly affected by the movement called Korean wave. Wikipedia puts it as the spread of South Korean culture around the world.

Probably we are not the only country that is extremely fascinated with Korean music. The popular genre called K-pop has also reached the United States, Canada and Australia. But unlike in those territories, our fascination has inspired the birth of a new genre, though that not everybody is happy about.

It’s hard to know when exactly P-pop was born, but one thing is sure, the genre is in its formative years and appears to be a cheap K-pop knock off. 

Can MYMP make their mommas proud again?

This is not a post Mother’s day message, this is about Make Your Momma Proud or simply MYMP’s attempt to resurface on the local music circuit.

Sarah Geronimo’s songs of heartaches

After one-and-a-half years since the release of the now multi-platinum record Music and Me, pop star and concert queen Sarah Geronimo is ready to deliver. She is finally back on the music scene with a more mature sound and a more personal CD.

The dying industry’s elusive dream

by Nickie Wang

Filipino audiences have become much more discerning today than they were in the previous decades. No wonder, our local multiplexes are teeming with foreign films, mostly from Hollywood, because they are the only moving pictures that can, so far, match what audiences look for in a film.

Kapamilya stars dominate Google’s influential women list

by Nickie Wang

On the eve of Women’s Day celebration, Google Philippines released a list of 20 most influential women in the country, and majority of the names were from the Kapamilya network.

The list, which is based on the volume of search queries local Google received last year, named 11 Kapamilya stars.

Sarah Geronimo finally breaks her silence

People…are talking about

Sarah Geronimo

The actress and concert queen is featured on the cover of Yes! magazine’s March issue. The teaser says that she finally breaks her silence and speaks about her failed affair with Rayver Cruz. She also pours her heart out on the recent spat between her and Christine Reyes. When the rift between her and Cristine hit all the major dailies and tabloids in December, the singer was the only person who kept her silence. She didn’t drop a word unlike Christine who flooded Twitter with her outbursts. People agree that there is a right time and a right place for everyone and everything. Sarah waited for that.

After impressing Gaga, Maria Aragon meets DeGeneres

The local music circuit is full of activity and every concert venue, big and small, is being flocked by music aficionados. But this is not the biggest news on the music scene.

Our apologies to Sam Concepcion who opened the sold out concert of Taylor Swift last Saturday and to Christian Bautista whose Romance Revisited album has just been bestowed with a quadruple platinum award.

Yet, a 10-year-old kid tops all these buzz from the local showbiz circle. Lady Gaga personally invited her to be with her on stage in a concert in March in Toronto.

127 Hours: A perfect misadventure movie

by Nickie Wang

The film 127 Hours was made with a measly $18 million-budget. That is actually equivalent to the talent fee of a single Hollywood A-lister. Yet, the independently produced film (take note that is not a digital movie) is nominated for six Academy awards including Best Picture and Best Actor and its box-office gross in the United States alone doubled the amount of its production cost.