The Qantas Boeing 747 plane, carrying 346 passengers and 19 crew, made an emergency landing in the Philippine capital Manila after a rupture in its fuselage.

Speaking to Agence France-Presse at Manila airport and to Australian media, passengers told how the aircraft was left with a “gaping hole” in its carriage, and there had been “explosive” decompression in the cabin.

Melbourne woman June Kane said debris shot through the cabin.

“There was a terrific boom and bits of wood and debris just flew forward into first [class] and the oxygen masks dropped down,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“We were told that one of the rear doors, a hole had blown into it, but I’ve since looked at the plane and there’s a gigantic gaping hole in the plane.

“It was absolutely terrifying but I have to say everyone was very calm.”

Phil Rescall, a 40-year-old Englishman, said the crew had been very calm and there was no panic.

“The shock came when many got off the plane and saw the hole,” he told Agence France-Presse.

“You see the hole and you realize we were very lucky,” he added.

“Some people were crying, some people were pretty shaken when they saw the hole.”
Another English passenger, Robin McGeechan, 42, said that despite the bang there was little panic.

“There was no warning, just a big bang and then there was depressurization of the cabin and the oxygen masks dropped,” he said in Manila.

“The engines of the plane never stopped running. so I did not think the damage was serious,” he said. “We thought we could just set down and then take off again.”

“We were told a door had popped. We only realized that there was a great big hole in the plane after we landed,” McGeechan added.

June Kane said the problem seemed to centre on the baggage compartment of the plane.

“I’m looking at the plane now and on the left-hand side, just forward of the wing, there’s a gaping hole from the wing to the underbody,” she said.

“It’s about two meters by four meters and there’s baggage hanging out so you assume that there’s a few bags that may have gone missing.”

An unnamed passenger told the Melbourne Herald Sun’s website how children burst into tears after a “quick bang” reverberated through the cabin. She said the plane plunged then stabilized after about five minutes.

Melbourne resident Brendan McClements praised the crew for landing the plane safely.

“The crew were terrific, they did a great job. Everyone gave them a round of applause as we landed,” he told the Herald Sun.

Qantas said initial inspections revealed the aircraft had sustained a hole in its fuselage, and it was currently being inspected by engineers.

It said there were no reports of any injuries to passengers or crew.

A Qantas supervisor in Manila said passengers had been taken to hotels in the city. An official said the flight originated in London and had been due to arrive in Melbourne on Friday evening.

Source: Agence France-Presse

Find out where Charice is getting those deep emotions when singing heartwarming songs that made her popular in Korea, United Kingdom, Italy, USA and the rest of the world. The episode will narrate the struggles of this young diva including the reason why she no longer uses the last name “Pempengco.”

Charice will play herself in ABS-CBN’s drama anthology and Zsa Zsa Padilla will play the role of her mom. The episode is directed by Jeffrey Jeturian and written by Joan Habana and Dado Lumibao. Other cast includes Sharlene San Pedro (as the young Charice), Rhap Salazar (as Kokoy, Charice’s brother), Neil Ryan Sese (as Charice’s dad) and Madeleine Nicolas (as Tess, Charice’s grandmother).

Here is the synopsis of the said episode:

This is the story of Charice, a 16-year old girl who has always dreamed of seeing herself on TV. Growing up in a broken family, she has never seen her father since she was three. Charice and her brother Kokoy were raised alone by their mother Racquel, who also taught her daughter how to sing and conquer her fears.

Charice, equipped with the talent and the passion, as well as a very supportive and heroic mother, joined numerous singing competitions. She won sometimes but it reached a point when she started losing hope, especially when she did not make it as the grand winner in Little Big Star. A lot of people continued to put their faith in Charice but more than anyone else, it was her Mommy Raquel who never stopped in believing that she can reach her dream through her music.

In 2007, an anonymous fan and YouTube blogger FalseVoice posted her videos on the web. Today, Charice is not only popular here in the Philippines but also among foreigners who continue to recognize her gift of music.

With hard work, faith, and through the help of the video sharing site, Charice is now famous all over the world, proudly showcasing the immense talent that Filipinos have to offer.

Better in Time
(Leona Lewis)

It’s been the longest winter without you
I didn’t know where to turn to
See somehow I can’t forget you
After all that we’ve been through

Go in, come in, thought I heard a knock
Who’s there? No one, thinking that I deserved it
Now I realize that I really didn’t know
You didn’t notice, you mean everything
Quickly I’m learning to love again
All I know is, I’ma be okay

Thought I couldn’t live without you
It’s gonna hurt when it heals too, oh yeah
(It’ll all get better in time)
Even though I really loved you
I’m gonna smile ’cause I deserve to
(It’ll all get better in time)

How could I turn on the TV
Without something there to remind me?
Was it all that easy
To just put aside your feelings?

If I’m dreaming, don’t wanna let, hurt my feelings
But that’s the path, I believe in
And I know that, time will heal it
You didn’t notice, you mean everything
Quickly I’m learning to love again
All I know is, I’ma be okay

Thought I couldn’t live without you
It’s gonna hurt when it heals too, oh yeah
(It’ll all get better in time)
Even though I really loved you
I’m gonna smile ’cause I deserve to
(It’ll all get better in time)

Since there’s no more you and me
It’s time I let you go so I can be free
And live my life how it should be
No matter how hard it is, I’ll be fine without you
Yes, I will

Thought I couldn’t live without you
It’s gonna hurt when it heals too, oh
(It’ll all get better in time)
Even though I really loved you
I’m gonna smile ’cause I deserve to, yes, I do
(It’ll all get better in time)

Thought I couldn’t live without you
It’s gonna hurt when it heals too, yeah
(It’ll all get better in time)
And even though I really loved you
I’m gonna smile ’cause I deserve to

From the AGB Nielsen TV Ratings for July 21 to 24 in Mega Manila, Iisa Pa Lamang registered 24.2 (Monday), 27.1% (Tuesday), 23.9% (Wednesday) and 25.9% (Thursday) respectively. The soap opera secured the fifth position overall in the said period.

Here are the comparative TV ratings of ABS-CBN and GMA-7 shows from July 21 to 24, based on the overnight ratings conducted by AGB Nielsen Philippines among Mega Manila households:

July 21 (Monday)

Non-Primetime:

SiS (GMA-7) 10.3%; Boy & Kris (ABS-CBN) 7.5%

Marimar (GMA-7) 16.5%; Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) 15.6%

Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) 20.7%; Wowowee (ABS-CBN) 17.5%

Daisy Siete (GMA-7) 19.3%; Magdusa Ka (GMA-7) 21.9%; Ligaw Na Bulaklak (ABS-CBN) 13.8%

Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan (GMA-7) 22.9%; El Cuerpo del Deseo (ABS-CBN) 17.9%; Las Tontas (ABS-CBN) 11.9%

Primetime:

Gobingo (GMA-7) 12.8%; Wheel of Fortune (ABS-CBN) 13.4%

24 Oras (GMA-7) 25.5%; TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) 22.2%

Codename: Asero (GMA-7) 35.4%; The Singing Bee (ABS-CBN) 24%

Dyesebel (GMA-7) 38.2%; Iisa Pa Lamang (ABS-CBN) 24.2%

Ako Si Kim Samsoon (GMA-7) 28.6%; My Girl (ABS-CBN) 23.2%

Dalja’s Spring (GMA-7) 19.4%; Pinoy Dream Academy (ABS-CBN) 20.4%

Pinoy Idol Extra (GMA-7) 13.9%; Artificial Beauty (ABS-CBN) 14.3%

Kung Ako Ikaw (GMA-7) 11.1%; Bandila (ABS-CBN) 10.5%; Saksi (GMA-7) 10.3%

July 22 (Tuesday)

Non-Primetime:

SiS (GMA-7) 11.1%; Boy & Kris (ABS-CBN) 7.3%

Marimar (GMA-7) 12.6%; Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) 14.4%

Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) 21%; Wowowee (ABS-CBN) 17%

Daisy Siete (GMA-7) 20.8%; Magdusa Ka (GMA-7) 22.2%; Ligaw Na Bulaklak (ABS-CBN) 11.7%

Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan (GMA-7) 23.6%; El Cuerpo del Deseo (ABS-CBN) 17.4%; Las Tontas (ABS-CBN) 11.9%

Primetime:

Gobingo (GMA-7) 15.2%; Wheel of Fortune (ABS-CBN) 15.5%

24 Oras (GMA-7) 28.4%; TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) 24%

Codename: Asero (GMA-7) 35.4%; The Singing Bee (ABS-CBN) 26.1%

Dyesebel (GMA-7) 38.2%; Iisa Pa Lamang (ABS-CBN) 27.1%

Ako Si Kim Samsoon (GMA-7) 28.3%; My Girl (ABS-CBN) 22.8%

Dalja’s Spring (GMA-7) 19.2%; Pinoy Dream Academy (ABS-CBN) 21%

Pinoy Idol Extra (GMA-7) 10.9%; Artificial Beauty (ABS-CBN) 13.7%

Kung Ako Ikaw (GMA-7) 11.4%; Bandila (ABS-CBN) 8.9%; Saksi (GMA-7) 8.3%

July 23 (Wednesday)

Non-Primetime:

SiS (GMA-7) 9.5%; Boy & Kris (ABS-CBN) 7.2%

Marimar (GMA-7) 14.9%; Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) 14.1%

Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) 19.6%; Wowowee (ABS-CBN) 15.1%

Daisy Siete (GMA-7) 19%; Magdusa Ka (GMA-7) 20.2%; Ligaw Na Bulaklak (ABS-CBN) 10.3%

Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan (GMA-7) 20.6%; El Cuerpo del Deseo (ABS-CBN) 14.4%; Las Tontas (ABS-CBN) 11.6%

Primetime:

Gobingo (GMA-7) 13.2%; Wheel of Fortune (ABS-CBN) 14%

24 Oras (GMA-7) 28%; TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) 20.3%

Codename: Asero (GMA-7) 34.4%; The Singing Bee (ABS-CBN) 23.9%

Dyesebel (GMA-7) 37.7%; Iisa Pa Lamang (ABS-CBN) 23.9%

Ako Si Kim Samsoon (GMA-7) 29.4%; My Girl (ABS-CBN) 22%

Dalja’s Spring (GMA-7) 18.3%; Pinoy Dream Academy (ABS-CBN) 19.3%

Pinoy Idol Extra (GMA-7) 12.2%; Artificial Beauty (ABS-CBN) 13.1%

Kung Ako Ikaw (GMA-7) 10.9%; Bandila (ABS-CBN) 8.9%; Saksi (GMA-7) 7.6%

July 24 (Thursday)

Non-Primetime:

SiS (GMA-7) 7.6%; Boy & Kris (ABS-CBN) 8.6%

Marimar (GMA-7) 14.7%; Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) 15.9%

Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) 20.6%; Wowowee (ABS-CBN) 18.4%

Daisy Siete (GMA-7) 18.4%; Magdusa Ka (GMA-7) 21.3%; Ligaw Na Bulaklak (ABS-CBN) 14.4%

Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan (GMA-7) 19.1%; El Cuerpo del Deseo (ABS-CBN) 18%; Las Tontas (ABS-CBN) 12.9%

Primetime:

Gobingo (GMA-7) 16.6%; Wheel of Fortune (ABS-CBN) 17.8%

24 Oras (GMA-7) 29.3%; TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) 24.9%

Codename: Asero (GMA-7) 33.3%; The Singing Bee (ABS-CBN) 24.1%

Dyesebel (GMA-7) 34.8%; Iisa Pa Lamang (ABS-CBN) 25.9%

Ako Si Kim Samsoon (GMA-7) 26.4%; My Girl (ABS-CBN) 23.7%

Dalja’s Spring (GMA-7) 18.7%; Pinoy Dream Academy (ABS-CBN) 22%

Here are the Top 10 daytime and primetime programs from July 21 to 24 based on the overnight ratings conducted by AGB Nielsen Philippines among Mega Manila households:

July 21 (Monday)

Daytime:

1. Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan (GMA-7) - 22.9%
2. Magdusa Ka (GMA-7) - 21.9%
3. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 20.7%
4. Daisy Siete (GMA-7) - 19.3%
5. El Cuerpo del Deseo (ABS-CBN) - 17.9%
6. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 17.5%
7. Marimar (GMA-7) - 16.5%
8. Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 15.6%
9. Ligaw Na Bulaklak (ABS-CBN) - 13.8%
10. Las Tontas (ABS-CBN) - 11.9%

Primetime:

1. Dyesebel (GMA-7) - 38.2%
2. Codename: Asero (GMA-7) - 35.4%
3. Ako Si Kim Samsoon (GMA-7) - 28.6%
4. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 25.5%
5. Iisa Pa Lamang (ABS-CBN) - 24.2%
6. The Singing Bee (ABS-CBN) - 24%
7. My Girl (ABS-CBN) - 23.2%
8. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) - 22.2%
9. Pinoy Dream Academy (ABS-CBN) - 20.4%
10. Dalja’s Spring (GMA-7) - 19.4%

July 22 (Tuesday)

Daytime:

1. Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan (GMA-7) - 23.6%
2. Magdusa Ka (GMA-7) - 22.2%
3. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 21%
4. Daisy Siete (GMA-7) - 20.8%
5. El Cuerpo del Deseo (ABS-CBN) - 17.4%
6. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 17%
7. Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 14.4%
8. Marimar (GMA-7) - 12.6%
9. Las Tontas (ABS-CBN) - 11.9%
10. Ligaw Na Bulaklak (ABS-CBN) - 11.7%

Primetime:

1. Dyesebel (GMA-7) - 38.2%
2. Codename: Asero (GMA-7) - 35.4%
3. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 28.4%
4. Ako Si Kim Samsoon (GMA-7) - 28.3%
5. Iisa Pa Lamang (ABS-CBN) - 27.1%
6. The Singing Bee (ABS-CBN) - 26.1%
7. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) - 24%
8. My Girl (ABS-CBN) - 22.8%
9. Pinoy Dream Academy (ABS-CBN) - 21%
10. Dalja’s Spring (GMA-7) - 19.2%

July 23 (Wednesday)

Daytime:

1. Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan (GMA-7) - 20.6%
2. Magdusa Ka (GMA-7) - 20.2%
3. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 19.6%
4. Daisy Siete (GMA-7) - 19%
5. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 15.1%
6. Marimar (GMA-7) - 14.9%
7. El Cuerpo del Deseo (ABS-CBN) - 14.4%
8. Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 14.1%
9. Las Tontas (ABS-CBN) - 11.6%
10. Ligaw Na Bulaklak (ABS-CBN) - 10.3%

Primetime:

1. Dyesebel (GMA-7) - 37.7%
2. Codename: Asero (GMA-7) - 34.4%
3. Ako Si Kim Samsoon (GMA-7) - 29.4%
4. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 28%
5. The Singing Bee (ABS-CBN) / Iisa Pa Lamang (ABS-CBN) - 23.9%
6. My Girl (ABS-CBN) - 22%
7. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) - 20.3%
8. Pinoy Dream Academy (ABS-CBN) - 19.3%
9. Dalja’s Spring (GMA-7) - 18.3%
10. Wheel of Fortune (ABS-CBN) - 14%

July 24 (Thursday)

Daytime:

Daytime:

1. Magdusa Ka (GMA-7) - 21.3%
2. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 20.6%
3. Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan (GMA-7) - 19.1%
4. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) / Daisy Siete (GMA-7) - 18.4%
5. El Cuerpo del Deseo (ABS-CBN) - 18%
6. Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 15.9%
7. Marimar (GMA-7) - 14.7%
8. Ligaw Na Bulaklak (ABS-CBN) - 14.4%
9. Las Tontas (ABS-CBN) - 12.9%
10. Boy & Kris (ABS-CBN) - 8.6%

Primetime:

1. Dyesebel (GMA-7) - 34.8%
2. Codename: Asero (GMA-7) - 33.3%
3. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 29.3%
4. Ako Si Kim Samsoon (GMA-7) - 26.4%
5. Iisa Pa Lamang (ABS-CBN) - 25.9%
6. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) - 24.9%
7. The Singing Bee (ABS-CBN) - 24.1%
8. My Girl (ABS-CBN) - 23.7%
9. Pinoy Dream Academy (ABS-CBN) - 22%
10. Dalja’s Spring (GMA-7) - 18.7%

Source: AGB Nielsen Philippines via PEP

The Top Payback Stars list is different from Highest Paid Stars list. This one is about celebrities who asked modest paychecks but their movies did great at the box-office. The last 3 movies were considered for each celebrities and Forbes tallied the 10 who are the best value for the money.

Top Payback Stars:

1. Vince Vaughn - $14.73M (The Breakup, Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball)

2. Tobey Maguire - $13.44M (Spider-Man 3, Spider-Man 2, Seabiscuit)

3. Julia Roberts - $13.19M (Charlie Wilson’s War, Ocean’s Twelve, Closer)

4. Brad Pitt - $12.73M (Ocean’s Thirteen, Babel, Mr. & Mrs. Smith)

5. Naomi Watts - $12.16M (Eastern Promises, King Kong, Stay)

6. Matt Damon - $12.16M (The Bourne Ultimatum, Ocean’s Thirteen, The Good Shepherd)

7. George Clooney - $11.56M (Michael Clayton, Ocean’s Thirteen, Syriana)

8. Jennifer Aniston - $10.48M (The Breakup, Friends With Money, Rumor Has It)

9. Hugh Jackman - $9.90M (The Fountain, The Prestige, Scoop)

10. Ben Stiller - $9.50M (Heartbreak Kid, Night at the Museum, Meet the Fockers)

Photo Credits: Just Jared

The autobiography was conceptualize by one of his sons, Eric Quizon and written by Bibeth Orteza. It’s basically the life story of the Comedy King with a list of women linked to him alphabetically arranged from Alma to Zsa Zsa.

On July 29, Tuesday, ABS-CBN will hold a special tribute titled “The King of Comedy at 80” to be held at the Meralco Theater. It will be aired on August 3 on Sunday’s Best.

Former wife Alma Moreno and current wife Zsa Zsa Padilla were absent in the said event.

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

The International Olympic Committee told Iraqi sports officials in a letter that it would uphold its ban imposed in June after the government in Baghdad replaced its national Olympic panel with members not recognized by the IOC.

The IOC had called the move unacceptable government interference.

In Iraq, it also smacked of the lingering sectarian bitterness between the new Shiite power brokers and the Sunnis who were once favored under Saddam Hussein—whose son, Odai, ran the nation’s Olympic committee as a personal fiefdom and was accused of torturing athletes who came up short.

“Clearly we’d very much like to have seen Iraq’s athletes in Beijing,” said IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies. “We are very disappointed that the athletes have been so ill-served by their own government’s actions.”

But Davies suggested there was still a possibility for last-ditch talks to salvage Iraq’s place before the games open Aug. 8.

“If there can be some movement and if a resolution can be found, that’s still an open door,” she told CNN. When asked if there’s a window of about a week, she said “Correct.”

At the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, the crowd at the opening ceremony rose to its feet as the small Iraqi team entered the stadium for the first Olympics since the fall of Saddam. The team was led by Najah Ali, a 106-pound boxer who carried the red-white-and-green flag. Later, the pint-sized underdog pumped his fists after winning a bout in an early round and shouted from the ring that his victory was “a symbol of freedom.”

Iraq’s soccer team also became one of the feel-good stories of Athens when it made a surprising run to the semifinals—only to be defeated by Italy 1-0 in the bronze-medal game.

This year, at least seven Iraqi athletes were expected to compete in Beijing in sports including weightlifting, rowing and archery. Their spots were given to other nations by the IOC.

Iraqi sports officials reacted with disbelief and outrage as they watched the efforts for Beijing vanish. Iraq has only one medal—a bronze in weightlifting in 1960—since its first appearance at the Summer Olympics in 1948.

“Unjust,” said Fawzi Akram, a member of the sports committee in parliament. “Iraq is passing through an exception period and should be given special consideration.”

The official who received the IOC’s letter—Jassim Mohammed Jaafar, the minister of sport and youth—grumbled: “We reject this unfair decision.”

But it’s been coming to a head for months.

In May, Iraq’s government dissolved the 11-member National Olympic Committee. Among the claims was that it was illegitimate because it lacked enough members for a legal quorum—even though four members of the committee, including its chief, were kidnapped two years ago and their fates remain unknown.

There’s also possible echoes of Iraq’s sectarian rifts. The Youth and Sports Ministry is dominated by Shiites who also control the government. Iraq’s Olympic Committee had included several holdovers from the Saddam era.

The IOC banned Iraq in June, but said it was open for talks. Iraq, too, promised to meet the IOC and present “solid evidence” of corruption, unfair elections and other alleged failings by the committee.

But on Thursday, the IOC said the deadline to open negotiations had run out — just as athletes begin their final preparations for Beijing.

“We are deeply sorry for this result,” said the IOC letter.

Iraq is not the first country to miss an Olympics because of government interference.

In the most recent case, Afghanistan was prevented from sending a team to the Sydney Games in 2000 when the Taliban regime’s heavy hand extended to sports.

The U.S. Olympic Committee also had a stake in the Iraq team, signing an agreement in 2006 to help with training for Beijing.

White House press secretary Dana Perino expressed disappointment.

“I’m sure that the Iraqi athletes who have trained so hard and were finally going to represent a country that is free and sovereign and working to establish its democracy, they have to be terribly disappointed, and I’m disappointed for the athletes as well,” she said.

While many Iraqi officials rallied behind the government, the mood among fans was sour.

“The (IOC) decision will be a catastrophe for Iraqi sports,” said Dia Hussein, coach of the Iraq Police Soccer team, which plays in the national league. “I blame the Iraqi government for bringing this on the country.”

Yaroub Kadim, a 22-year-old university student, described sports as “one of the only real lifelines connecting everyone in the country.”

There’s a cruel irony in the suspicions that sectarian power plays may have sunk Iraq’s Olympic hopes. Sports has become one of the few genuine sources of national unity since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

In July 2007, Iraqis erupted with joy when their national team—the Lions of the Two Rivers—won the Asia Cup. Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds poured into streets lined with blast walls to celebrate, shoot guns in the air and bask in a common Iraqi pride.

The soccer team was also hit by a ban by the sport’s governing body, but was lifted in time for Iraq to compete in the World Cup qualifying tournament. Sports figures also have joined the long rolls of civilians killed in the war.

The Olympic cycling coach, national wrestling coach, a soccer federation member and a prominent volleyball player have been killed, most in 2006 during the height of sectarian slayings.

Source: Yahoo

Many pageant enthusiasts are criticizing the way Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) as headed by Stella Marquez Araneta is handling the Philippine representative to the Miss Universe Pageant. One controversial issue that they are pointing out is that BPCI is importing gowns from Araneta’s native country Colombia from the designer Alfredo Barraza (who is also a close friend of Araneta).

Pageant experts lamented that the gowns being sent to the Philippines looked like it was “recycled” from other designs. Furthermore, we have local designers who are equally good or maybe better than Colombian designers.

Since 2000, the Philippines did not make the cut of Miss Universe, just ambushing the Miss Photogenic Awards in 2005 to 2007. Their setback is not the swimsuit competition nor the question and answer portion. The experts are pointing their fingers on the evening gown.

With the reports that ABS-CBN is bidding for the franchise of Miss Universe Pageant, there could be hope for our beauty queens to finally place or even win the third Miss Universe crown for the country.

BPCI’s contract as Philippine Miss Universe franchise holder is not due until 2013 but this early, ABS-CBN is positioning to bid for the rights to be the official holder of the right to search and organize the Philippines’ bet for Miss Universe from 2014 and beyond.

ABS-CBN has been the official broadcaster of Miss Universe in 1994 when it was held in the country and in 2007 and 2008. It’s newly appointed ABS-CBN President Charo Santos-Concio was once a national beauty queen in the ’70s.

Photo insert: Maricar Balagtas (Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2004), Lia Andrea Ramos (Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2006) and Zorayda Ruth Andam (Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2001)

Three Filipina junior contestants namely Stephanie “Tippy” Dos Santos (13 years old), Catherine Loria (13 years old) and Rachel Razon (13 years old) made it to the final round of the Junior Vocalist of the World competitions. The three will compete with each other, and with Courtney Mary Janssen of New Zealand, and Oleksandr Chernenko of Ukraine.

On the other hand, Marielle Corpuz (22 years old) is the sole senior contestant left for Team Philippines competing in the Senior Vocalist of the World competitions. Marielle will face Noryn Aziz of Malaysia, and Andrew Clarke of Jamaica in the Senior Solo Vocalist competition.

The four pinays went through endless rounds of competitions vying with hundreds of vocalists around the world. All four of them will vie for WCOPA’s major titles: the Grand Champion Vocalist of the World title, and the even more prestigious Grand Champion Performer of the World title (previously won by Jed Madela in 2005 and Aria Clemente in 2007).

Panky Trinidad, Dex De Rosa, Abegail Dorado, Glee Nette Gaddi, and the Sison brothers (Marek, Enzo, Ruiz) just made it to the semi-final round. They will receive semi-final round medals.

The rest of Team Philippines’ contestants this year failed to get ahead of the preliminary round.

Tippy singing “Alone” in the Rock Category:

Video Links:

Tippy Dos Santos - I Believe - WCOPA 2008

Catherine Loria - Stand Up for Love - WCOPA 2008

Tippy Dos Santos - Astonishing - WCOPA 2008

Tippy Dos Santos - Jesus Take the Wheel - WCOPA 2008

Tippy Dos Santos - Orange Colored Sky - WCOPA 2008

Marielle Corpuz - What Kind of Fool Am I? - WCOPA 2008

Catherine Loria - I Believe I Can Fly - WCOPA 2008

Marielle Corpuz - the Last Bet of the Philippines in WCOPA Senior Category

Hundreds flocked the Hall Theater to be the first people to watch the American version of the Filipino horror movie.

Our very own Yam Laranas received more rave reviews from horror movie critics.

This one’s from Dread Central:

Yam Laranas understood that for an American remake of his Filipino shocker Sigaw to work, there would need to be some changes. Having never seen the original, I’m not sure how much is changed, but I can say that The Echo never suffers from what the worst of those other Asian remakes do: that feeling that you’re watching an Asian film with an English-speaking cast. The Echo is very much its own movie with its own style and pacing, and for that reason alone I’m glad Laranas was able to have a second chance. (Johnny Butane, DreadCentral)

And here’s what Fangoria has to say about “The Echo”:

“Some genuinely scary moments. THE ECHO proves that Yam Laranas has what it takes to frighten an audience.” - Tony Timpone, Fangoria

Source: Yam Laranas Blog

Marian Rivera on Metro Magazine:

Dingdong Dantes on People Asia:

Angel and John Lloyd is about to do a movie from Star Cinema scheduled for Valentine’s Day 2009 release. There’s no working title yet for the said movie.

Kung hindi aatras ang Star Cinema, The Angel-Lloydy romantic movie will go head to head with the movie of Angel’s former leading man when she was still a Kapuso, Richard Gutierrez. Richard’s next Valentine movie is his second team-up with KC Concepcion and has a working title “When I Met You.” The KC-Richard movie is to be directed by Jose Javier Reyes under GMA Films.

This is going to be a bloody exciting Valentines as two former love team will compete in the big screen with their new partners. Angel and Richard are used to doing Valentine’s movie every year. Their first Valentine movie was “Let the Love Begin” in 2005 and it was a box-office hit. It was followed by “I Will Always Love You” in 2006. The last Valentine movie of Richard and Angel was The Promise in 2007.

Since Angel transferred to ABS-CBN, Richard was paired with a new partner for the Valentine movie of 2008 and she’s none other than Marian Rivera. The movie was My Bestfriend’s Girlfriend and it was a box office hit raking more than P100 million when it was shown last February.

On Angel’s camp, John Lloyd is going to be her third team-up since she transferred to ABS-CBN. The first was with Sam Milby in an episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya. The second was with Piolo Pascual in the recently concluded fantaserye “Lobo.” Angel is currently filming a movie with Piolo under Star Cinema that is set for an October 2008 release. After Piolo, it’s John Lloyd’s turn to be Angel’s leading man.

But here’s the question: Is Star Cinema brave enough to go head to head with the scheduled movie of Richard and KC on Valentine’s Day of 2009? The last time they collided with a Valentine movie was last 2005 with Mr. Dreamboy starring Piolo Pascual and Bea Alonzo. It was a box-office flop compared to Let the Love Begin of Angel and Richard. Earlier this year, Star Cinema’s My Big Love was supposed to open on Valentine’s week but it gave way to My Bestfriend’s Girlfriend. The Sam Milby-Toni Gonzaga movie started its run 2 weeks after the Richard Gutierrez-Marian Rivera movie.

Maybe it’s time for Star Cinema to conquer Valentine’s Day since they have the Box Office King on their side. Di ba mas exciting kung sabay ipalalabas ang dalawang romantic movies from rival networks starring former love team who used to star together for a Valentine’s movie year after year? What do you think?