Author: Jude Cartalaba

Tony recently hit the headlines again. He had an incident at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport with an immigration officer. He just posted his public apology. After his ‘hot kissing scenes’ with much mature actress—Angel Aquino via an IWant film Glorious, he figured into another story that went viral when he was punched by a security officer amid a mob in a mall show in December 2018. Yesterday, January 3, Tony Labrusca hit the headlines once more when social media posts surfaced, particularly from an immigration officer who posted about the young Kapamilya star’s misbehavior after being given 30 days…

During Christmastime, Filipino moviegoers will never ran out of horror flicks and two of the eight Metro Manila Film Festival 2018 entries—OTLUM by Joven Tan is another horror story that is intended to scare those who decide to catch it in cinemas. Frankly, watching the film, I was expecting that this would be a good scare for me. I had been scared all my life that any attempt to scare me won’t work anymore. I was not even shock. At least with the scene in Aurora there was a scene that surprised me. That scene when Ricky peeped into the…

Not all that is expensive is impressive. There is no doubt that this film is visually appealing especially the Aurora ship tragedy shots. Yam Laranas’s film Aurora could really boast of its technical and visual aspects. There is no doubt about that. Landing as Second Best Picture at the recently concluded Gabi ng Parangal of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2018 is already a testament that the film has achieved quite a landmark in Philippine cinema. The film is top-billed by Anne Curtis and this could be her third attempt to have a box-office. First it was Sid &…

If there is one film that deserves all the awards last night—it’s the Joel Lamangan gay love story—Rainbow Sunset. Despite its theme, this official entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival 2018, have proven that a good material and storytelling coupled with great acting and directing, the said film by Heaven’s Best Entertainment have earned the nods not just from the festival’s jury as well as those who have come to watch the film. Like the very words of Loretta Young, “Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.” And that’s how the love triangle between Ramon,…

The Viva Films’ official entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival 2018—Yam Laranas’s Aurora and the most-favored to win was overtaken by a complicated love triangle drama between two elderly gay men and a straight woman in Joel Lamangan’s Rainbow Sunset. Despite the shock from the audience that Eddie Garcia who played the old Ramon who has an affair with Tony Mabesa’s character as Fredo; the veteran actors settled as Special Jury Prize and Best Supporting Actor awardee, respectively. Gloria Romero who played the old Sylvia, the wife of Ramon was also declared Best Actress beating Kim Chiu (One Great…

I was thrilled to see how the Gonzaga sisters—Toni and Alex do their stint together on the silver screen via this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2018 entry—Mary, Marry Me. This isn’t the first time that the public would see how the two women interact with each other outside of Pinoy Big Brother House. They had a reality show titled Team Gonzaga in 2014, which was viewed via the now-defunct ABS-CBNmobile platform. Unlike that mobile show, in the film, the Gonzagas still assumed the roles of sisters. The treatment though is comedy-drama focused on the rivalry of two sisters—Mary…

For 19 years now, the 1999 romantic comedy film set in Notting Hill, London that bore the same title of its setting may just be repeated in one of the official entries to the Metro Manila Film Festival 2018—The Girl in the Orange Dress. Anna Scott as portrayed by Julia Roberts in the aforementioned box-office hit British film will be revisited through the adventures and misadventures of Jericho Rosales’s role in this Quantum Films and Star Cinema co-production. But what made it different is that Rosales is breathing into a character of a popular local actor named Rye Del Rosario.…

Bestselling romance novelist Nicholas Sparks once wrote that, “There’s no love like the first.” There’s truth to it, but not something people should bank on and misconstrue ‘first’ love will never ever die and that it is also the ‘one great love’. People change so as the intensity and the degree of love can change as well. For the past years, all those ‘hugot’ films have succeeded in appealing to the ‘hopeless romantic’ moviegoers, but with Regal Entertainment Incorporated’s official film entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival 2018—titled One Great Love is perhaps a typical love triangle story to…

‘The Maid in London’ gets to have three Block Screenings this month. PCSO sponsored the said initiative is aimed to show the film to senior citizens, women’s organizations and for those people who value family as well. The Andi Eigenmann film, which won the young star as best actress at the International Film Festival Manhattan in NY–has three scheduled block screenings for FREE at selected Robinsons MovieWorld cinemas. Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), headed by its general manager Alexander F. Balutan is staging series of block screenings for the Danni Ugali debut film The Maid in London which gave Andi…

From the 10 Finalists it the upcoming PhilPop, on its fifth year, it is not surprising to find two Visayan-themed songs which could likely be potential hits in the mainstream music scene. Here are the Top Five Picks: Landing in fifth place is Di Ko Man. It may be a Cebuano song, but its message is universal. Di Ko Man by Ferdinand Aragon is a reflection of how one is capable of doing everything and anything just to express one’s love and affection to the one that matters to him or her. https://youtu.be/sXyR4dyW4xE A moving love song, treated in a…

There are songs that easily capture the hearts not just of its intended audience, but the general public. Listening through the 10 Finalists, frankly I have identified five songs that needed some re-work in order to impress well the listening market. Though varied in its line-up, still I think that songs mustn’t lose that sense of commercial appeal even if has to say something important. Loco de Amor: Que Horror? The Latin-injected sound may be sensual as it tried to be and at the same time funny; but for me it didn’t work well. The song by BennyBunnyBand could have…

Juancho Trivino and Mikoy Morales do a parody of Cesar Montano’s viral video. Trivino and Mikoy tagged co-Kapuso actor Jeric Gonzales as the birthday celebrant. Juancho Trivino and Mikoy Morales on Sunday (November 4) made a parody of Cesar Montano’s video birthday greeting that went viral early this week. On a Facebook post, Morales shared a short clip of their parody greeting their co-artist at GMA Network: “Happy Birthday Kagawad Jer Gonzales. “Happy birthday Kagawad Jeric Gonzales! (Morales entered the video showing his butt) Tandaan mo, palaging (laughs)…,” Trivino said in jest. Watch the video here: Mikoy Morales shows off his…

After Chang Ai Express, Ai-Ai delas Alas opens a new resto. Her latest restaurant business is Ai-sian Fusion, a Hybrid Casual Restaurant It is her dream to have a restaurant business and grow it like other popular Filipino food chains. Exactly 39 days later, since the latest venture of comedienne-dramatic and concert queen Ai-Ai delas Alas called ‘Ai-sian Fusion’ opened on September 17 on Level Four of Ayala Malls Cloverleaf, A. Bonifacio in Barangay Balingasa, Quezon City; she recently held an intimate blogger’s conference at the said restaurant inside a mall. Delas Alas shared tidbits on how the restaurant came…

QUEZON CITY, Philippines – On October 4, Thursday, model-actor-entrepreneur Ervic Vijandre joined the Rotary District 3780’s press launch for its upcoming fundraising cycling event called ‘100 Years of Inspiring People.’ The said initiative is set to happen on Sunday, October 21, 6am at Arco Via, C-5 Pasig City. Vijandre, who personally bikes says he finds this particular movement to be fulfilling since it allows those who participate to stretch those muscles and help contribute in saving a life. According to him, “Mga Kapuso actors at kung sinuman ang makasalubong ko, tatanungin ko kung gusto mo bang mag-bike?” Since the event is set…

Going to work each day can be stressful especially if one is based in the metro. For most of the working-class, particularly those who find pleasure in chilling out or hanging out with friends or officemates for a night of food and drinks on weeknights or weekends, Akrotiri Modern Eurasian Cuisine  could be the likely place to go. When too much work weighs one down, it is always a good thing to steal time to “live a little.” Unwind by pampering one’s self with good food and have a few drinks with friends at Akrotiri. The effect can be either…

Anne Landers, an American journalist once said that: “I don’t believe that you have to be a cow to know what milk is.” Maybe, as a mature individual, I have realized that there are kinds of milk that won’t be acceptable to my system especially if it will upset my stomach. But when I tried the bottled milk from Pinkie’s Farm—it gave me a better appreciation of what non-ultrahigh temperature (NUHT) milk is all about and I loved it. Are the milk pasteurized or homogenized? Pinkie’s Farm milk are pasteurized but not homogenized. Pasteurization is the process of heating milk up…