Star Powerhouse

The never-ending greatness in sports continues for the athletes of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) as the league formally kicks off another action-packed season this Saturday (June 29), 12:30 PM at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.  Watch the UAAP Season 76 opening ceremony live on television and online with ABS-CBN Sports’ comprehensive coverage to be aired on free-to-air channel Studio 23, cable channel BALLS High Definition (SkyCable ch 167), and to be streamed via UAAP’s official website ( http://uaapsports.tv ). Host school Adamson University is set to open the season with a grand production number inspired by the science fiction movie “The Hunger Games” to be performed by dancers from Adamson and other member schools. Former Adamson basketball greats and UAAP legends like Hector Calma and Kenneth Duremdes will also grace the event. After the ceremonies, the Senior Men’s Basketball tourney officially begins as the University of the East (UE) Warrior...

Fame didn’t even cross the mind of then 14-year-old Jessy Mendiola when she joined Star Magic’s workshop back in 2007 together with her older sister. But it seems it was her destiny to become Philippine television’s next big star because out of the many aspiring, young talents in her batch, she was the only one who caught the eye of star maker Mr. Johnny Manahan. “I can still remember Mr. M asking me ‘Gusto mo bang mag-artista?’ The clueless me back then answered, ‘Is it okay if pag-isipan ko po muna? Can you give me three days?’” Jessy recounted. She did think about it for three days and after discussing the matter with her mom and siblings, Jessy signed up with Star Magic, the country’s most prestigious artist management arm. But she did not say “yes” to Mr. M’s offer because she wanted to be an actress, but rather because she felt the need to be the family’s breadwinner. “Life wasn’t easy for us especially before I entered showbiz. I grew up without a dad and it’s only my mom who’s...

.Singapore’s top communications company Star Hub presents “Under the Stars: From Online to a Live Stage” a stellar concert with a great line-up of international and local talents that have successfully gained a following on YouTube. Featured line-up of artists include Tanner Patrick (USA), Madilyn Bailey (USA), Nate Tao (USA), The 38 Years Ago (Thailand), The Sam Willows (Singapore) and our very own Zendee as the final act. The concept of taking YouTube sensations to a whole new level remains – bringing them closer to the audience by taking them from online to a live stage. The 3-hour musical festival will be held under the starry sky at The Coliseum of Resorts World Sentosa on June 28, 7:00pm. For those living outside Singapore, live streaming of the concert will be available via http://www.youtube.com/user/StarHub/home . Zendee, and the rest of her band, flew to Singapore earlier this week to meet her co-performers. She also plans to tour around the city on her spare time s...

Philippine showbiz’s reigning ‘Teen Queen and King’– Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla–are set to make their grand return on primetime TV via ABS-CBN’s highly-anticipated romantic comedy series entitled “Got To Believe,” directed by box-office director Cathy Garcia-Molina. After ruling the hearts of viewers as Princess Areeyah and Gino in the royal teleserye “Princess And I” and as Patchot and Ivan in their launching movie under Star Cinema”Must Be… Love,” Kathryn and Daniel will continue to charm the whole country in “Got To Believe,” wherein Daniel plays the the rich kid, spoiled ‘prince,’ Joaquin, while Kathryn plays Chichay, a simple girl with big dreams for her family. Also part of the “Got To Believe” cast are Manilyn Reynes, Benjie Paras, Ian Veneracion and Carmina Villarroel. Join Chichay and Joaquin as they embark into the “real world.” Will Chichay’s “never say die” motto be enough for her to reach all her dreams? What will turn Joaquin’s world upside down and make him...

The StarStudio Celebrity Style Awards is back to give yet another round of due recognition to the most fashionable folk in the Philippine entertainment industry. Held hand-in-hand with StarStudio magazine’s 13th anniversary, this year’s Celebrity Style Awards will be the second coming of the event, following its first commencement in 2010. The first ever Celebrity Style Awards was received with much excitement, being the very first awards show mounted by StarStudio magazine. The awards night was held October, 2010 at the Dusit Thani hotel in Makati City, along with a series of mini fashion shows by the Celebrity Designer of 2010 nominees. Among the winners of the first Celebrity Style Awards were Piolo Pascual, Gretchen Barretto, Angel Aquino, Sarah Geronimo, Toni Gonzaga, Ely Buendia and Tim Yap. This year’s Celebrity Style Awards is bringing you the same stylish glamour, with the list of nominees including the likes of Anne Curtis, Dingdong Dantes, Solenn Heusaff, Gerald Anderson...

After years of working with Runmanila’s unique sound, band members Kevin Lim (Vocals, Sound Effects), Aaron Cruz (Programming, Guitars, Synthesizers), JR Jader (Electronics, Beats, Electro Drums) and Ignacio Cuyegkeng (Guitars, Synthesizers, Sound effects) is now ready to take their music to another level – by releasing their debut single RUN and eventually their own EP. The EP is produced by Universal Records. RUN is a catchy, upbeat tune that perfectly describes the kind of music the band wants to offer to the public – in their own words, “we want to call it ElectroPopRock -where rock meets dance, head banging meets booty shaking, rock moves plus dance grooves.” Runmanila brings in a new sound through rock guitar riffs and simple drum beats blended with electro synthesizers, drum machines, and four-on-the-floor beats. RUN is available on www.mymusicstore.com.ph and Itunes starting this Friday, June 21. Their EP will be available next month. Follow RUNMANILA: Facebook: https://www.f...

Two of the biggest pop culture events crossed over and joined forces last Sunday (June 16), when the Hero Face Off 2013 competition was held simultaneously in occurrence with this year’s 3-day Toy Convention. Animation came alive and took center stage at the SM Megatrade Halls 1, 2 and 3 at SM Megamall, where detailed action figures and novelty items were set beside moving, breathing characters from the television and movie screens. More than 10,000 people arrived to bear witness to this gigantic event, where eyes were on a competition to take home the title of Hero TV’s Ultimate Cosplayer in the FACE OFF Category, who would be given the chance to experience first-hand the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, Japan, anime’s country of origin itself. Aside from that, cash prizes were to be given to the champions and runners-up of the two other categories: the Kids category, and the League of Heroes category, dedicated to cosplayers that chose to compete in a group. The Hero Face Off...

ABS-CBN afternoon drama series “My Little Juan” topbilled by Izzy Canillo invades social networking sites as the “Juan dela Cruz” spin-off series receive a positive feedback from netizens. Because of the touching scenes and valuable lessons taught by Fr. Cito (Jaime Fabregas) to Juan (Izzy), Twitter users expressed their appreciation through positive tweets such as “@cocojoyful: #MyLittleJuan is really a good show. There is a moral lesson in every episode. Kids should be exposed to shows like this;” “@babyabdon: ‘My Little Juan’ is very fun to watch. Izzy is a very natural when it comes to acting. I hope the story will not end soon.;” and “@jhonray_05: #MyLittleJuan one of the best TV shows. I hope it will stay on air for a longer time because of its beautifully written story. More power to all cast of this series.” Meanwhile, TV viewers and netizens will surely get more hooked on “My Little Juan” now that Juan is doing everything to be reunited with Fr. Cito. How will Juan escape t...

As the 36th Gawad Urian came to a close, those who left a lasting impact on the Philippine film industry were made permanent in Gawad Urian history, during the revelation of all those named winners at the awarding ceremony last June 18, 2013 at the NBC Tent, Taguig. Here the List of the winners: Best Film – “Ang Paglalakbay ng mga Bituin sa Gabing Madilim” by Arnel Mardoquio. (Produced under Cinema One Originals by Skyweaver Productions) Best Actress – Nora Aunor (“Thy Womb”) Best Actor – Jericho Rosales (“Alagwa”) Best Director – Adolfo Alix, Jr. (“Mater Dolorosa”) Best Screenplay – Mes de Guzman (“Diablo”) Best Cinematography – Whammy Alcazaren (“Colossal”) Best Production Design – Brilliante Mendoza (“Thy Womb”) Best Editing – Aleks Castañeda (“Kalayaan”) Best Music – Diwa de Leon (“Baybayin”) Best Sound – Willy Fernandez, Kristine Kintana, and Lav Diaz (“Florentina Hubaldo, CTE”) Best Short Film – “Ritmo” by Remton Siega Zuasola Best Documentary – “Harana” by Benito Bautista...

ABS-CBN’s award-winning fantasy-drama anthology “Wansapanataym” continues to win the hearts of TV viewers every week as it shares stories with valuable lessons for the whole family. According to the data of Kantar Media last Saturday (June 15), the ‘Doggy Daddy Doggy’ episode of “Wansapanataym” grabbed the third spot in the list of overall TV programs in the country with 28.7% national TV ratings, compared to its rival program in GMA “Vampire Ang Daddy Ko” which only got 18.9%. Meanwhile, “Wansapanataym” will treat TV viewers with another lesson-filled episode, one entitled “Dolly Daldal,” this Saturday (June 22). Kapamilya child star Alyanna Angeles will play the role of Dolly, a talkative girl who always says what’s on her mind and does not care if she hurts others’ feelings with her words. Because of this, Dolly gets into trouble after one of the people she insulted punishes her. Will Dolly learn to think before she speaks when she experiences how painful it is to be treated by...

Maxie the Musical - Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros shall have special auditions for the roles of VICTOR and KUYA BOGS on June 22, 2013 (Saturday) at 4 p.m. UP Diliman  --- Palma Hall Room 132. Those interested to audition are requested to sing two songs (1 Filipino song preferably from a local alternative band/artist and 1 English song from a Broadway musical). They should also be ready to perform a dance/movement piece (may be hiphop, contemporary or jazz) VICTOR (Police officer, object of Maxie’s puppy love, affection.) Must look like in his mid to late 20s. Should be willing to appear on stage in underwear. Strong baritone or tenor voice. Must be able to sing both ballad and rock songs. BOGS (Maxie’s brother.) Early 20s, preferably able to play the guitar. If auditioning for this role, please prepare a slow OPM song and showcase guitar ability. For inquiries, please contact: Nick Guila c/o 0915.191.6384.

“ASAP 18” continues its unstoppable reign and supremacy in giving TV viewers world-class performances this Sunday (June 16) as international singing sensation Charice makes a grand come-back in ABS-CBN’s longest-running variety show with a mind-blowing production number. Aside from Charice’s return, showbiz royalties will also glitter-up “ASAP 18” with non-stop surprises including the special performance of Star Cinema’s 20th anniversary offering “4 Sisters and A Wedding” lead stars Angel Locsin and Bea Alonzo; and the grand launch of ABS-CBN’s newest Primetime Bida teleserye “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala” to be lead by the Queen of Pinoy Soap Opera Judy Ann Santos together with the powerhouse cast KC Concepcion, Sam Milby, John Estrada, Tirso Cruz III, Mylene Dizon, Susan Africa, Matet de Leon, Joseph Marco, Empress, Bryan Termulo, and Coney Reyes. Love and romance are set to fill the centerstage with the special production number of three of the most in demand Kapamilya love teams—Da...

In celebration of its 11th year anniversary, the Silly People’s Improv Theater (SPIT) and the PETA Theater Center proudly present the Manila Improv Festival 2013 from June 26-30, 2103. The theme for this year is “Follow Your Feet”, an improvisational theater concept which also ties in with the art form’s return to PETA - the group which first introduced improvisational theater to the country in the early 1970s. As SPIT takes on a new decade of laughter and innovation, the group decided to take a bolder step in sharing the art of improv to bigger audiences through the festival and its partnership with PETA Theater Center. Gabe Mercado, artistic director of the festival and founder of SPIT describes the vision of the festival: “SPIT was founded back in June 2002, because I saw the need for a new kind of comedy—one that differed from the usual stand-up comedy routines that we are used to seeing on TV and comedy bars. Improv appealed to me because of its grounding on truth, the magic of sp...

Last Monday, June 10, 2013 was the last day of submission of scripts for the METRO MANILA FILM FESTIVAL 2013 and so shocks but happy to see the some of entries for MMFF beacuse no Enteng, Ina, Panday and Shake, Rattle and Roll Series. A quick look at the 15 shortlisted films that will be further narrowed down to eight by June 18 reveal that most of the films will be headlined by MMFF staples. 1. TORKY AND MY LITTLE BOSSING (Octo Arts / MZET /APT / Kris Aquino Production) — Vic Sotto and Kris Aquino 2. MY SUPER KAP (Imus Production) — Bong Revilla, Ogie Alcasid, and Toni Gonzaga 3. 10,000 HOURS (Phil Film Studio) — Robin Padilla 4. BE CAREFUL WITH MY HEART (ABS-CBN Productions Inc.) — Richard Yap and Jodi Sta. Maria 5. BOY, GIRL, BAKLA, TOMBOY (Viva Films and Star Cinema) — Vice Ganda and Maricel Soriano 6. KIMMY DORA Prequel (Spring Films) — Piolo Pascual and Eugene Domingo 7. EVERYBODY LOVES (Gung Ho Films Manila) — Maja Salvador, Jericho Rosales, Megan Young, and Jake Cuenca 8. SAN...

The long wait is over and the country’s best voices will finally be heard as ABS-CBN premieres the most anticipated singing-reality competition on Philippine television, “The Voice of the Philippines,” this coming Saturday (June 15). The show, hosted by ultimate multimedia star Toni Gonzaga, kicks off the competition with its talked about and unique Blind Auditions wherein coaches Apl de Ap, Sarah Geronimo, Bamboo, and Ms. Lea Salonga will select the artists they want to mentor just by listening to the aspirant’s singing voice. Each coach must pick 12 artists for their respective teams who will advance to the next rounds of competition— the Battle Rounds and the Live Shows. When ABS-CBN said in early 2013 that it was going to bring the local adaptation of the worldwide hit format, the announcement was met with high expectations. This is because the Philippines is known for producing excellent singers, with most Filipinos fond of either singing at KTV bars or joining singing comp...

Rising Kapamilya teen star Julia Barretto’s dream to appear in “Maalaala Mo Kaya” comes true this Saturday (June 15). “I cannot believe that it is really happening. I am very happy and excited for my first ‘MMK,” said Julia. According to the teen actress, she did not think twice about accepting the role when it was offered to her. “I immediately said yes because I have always wanted to do episode for the show. But at the same time, I am really nervous because it is a huge responsibility and honor for me to be entrusted with an ‘MMK’ story,” she shared. Despite the pressure, Julia said that she is ready to prove herself to everyone. “I am very nervous because I might not meet the expectations of other people and I am afraid that I might disappoint them. Sometimes I try not to think about it because I just want to focus on how to improve my acting skills and show everybody that I can do this,” she said. Together with Julia in the episode are Ara Mina, James Blanco, Jacob Di...

Universal Records continues to be the home of the best, most respected local musical acts. At this year’s Awit Awards, the label’s artists headline the list of nominees – Gloc-9, Noel Cabangon, Gary Valenciano, Sam Concepcion, Sponge Cola, Kamikazee, Parokya Ni Edgar, Ogie Alcasid, Christian Bautista, and She’s Only Sixteen. Gloc-9 leads with five nominations Album of the Year for MKNM: Mga Kuwento Ng Makata, and for Sirena ­– Song of the Year, Best Rap, Best Collaboration and Best Music Video. The song also features Ebe Dancel. Noel Cabangon takes home for four nominations: Album of the Year for Tuloy Ang Byahe, Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist and Best Ballad for Tuwing Umuulan At Kapiling Ka, and Best Regional Recording for Usahay. Gary Valenciano also bags four nominations: Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist, Best Musical Arrangement and Best Engineered Recording for Send In The Clown, and Best Vocal Arangement for Overjoyed. Sam Concepcion is nominated for B...