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All posts for the month September, 2010

The Doctors and the Gleeks: My Favorites in The Amazing Race 17

Posted by Norman on September 30, 2010
Posted in: 5 TV Tales. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

The 11 teams of 2 for The Amazing Race 17

Meet the 11 teams in this video:


video courtesy of YouTube/CBSTVOnline

The 17th season of The Amazing Race premiered last September 26 (September 27 in Asia) and it almost slipped my mind. Good thing I switched to the AXN Channel right after dinner and was able to watch just a couple of minutes late into the premiere episode. i was able to size up the 11 teams as they head to their first destination – London, England. It may be too early but the ones I really like among them are the Doctors (diabetic Nat Strand and Kat Chang) and the Gleeks (Ivy League Acapella Singers Connor Diemand-Yauman and Jonathan Schwartz) because they have the right attitude for the race coupled with a tempered sense of humor and are sincere in their dealings with the rest. I would love to see any of the two duos win this one.

The Gleeks (or Green Team if you will) - Connor & Jonathan

The Doctors (Nat Strand and Kat Chang)

I have read into one too many spoilers about the different pit stops and eventual results of the 17th season but I won’t spill the beans for you, my dear readers. I’m still watching the whole thing from start to finish despite knowing all the highlights.

For those in Southeast Asia, watch The Amazing Race 17 on the AXN Channel every Monday night (around 7pm – PHL/SIN/MAL). 😉

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Czarina Catherine Gatbonton’s send-off for Miss World 2010

Posted by Norman on September 29, 2010
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

An exotic Filipina for Miss World 2010, this Czarina Catherine Gatbonton. (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB)

Czarina Catherine Gatbonton is your typical teenager who goes through a house-school-house daily routine in her isolated hometown province of (Isla) Pamarawan in Malolos, Bulacan. In fact, she had to ride a motorized bangka (small boat) to and from her house just to catch a jeep to school or a bus to the city. But all that changed when the 19 year-old surprised everyone at the Binibining Pilipinas 2010 finals after clinching the Bb. Pilipinas-World crown, thereby, earning a ticket to the Miss World 2010 competition in Sanya, China later next month. Since then, she has been shoved to an exciting world of glamour, filled with endless trainings, personality and communication development and guest appearances everywhere. The provinciana – who used to speak with an unmistakable Bulakeno accent – can now glide into a room with confidence and socialize like a true lady. True, more polishing will transform her into an even more ravishing exotic beauty, but her untouched natural charm might just do the trick in China given the fact that Miss World 2009 Kaiane Aldorino was initially unnoticed in a bevy of more than 100 delegates up until the organizers and judges took a shine on her.

Wishing Czarina all the best for Miss World 2010 are: (L-R) Dianne Necio, Venus Raj, Krista Mae Kleiner and Nicolette Henson (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB)

Yesterday, Czarina was given a formal send-off by the Binibining Pilipinas group. She is set to leave for Sanya, China shortly and the one-month stay will see her competing with a sea of lovelies from all over. One particular highlight of her participation should be the trip to Inner Mongolia which has never been visited by a huge pageant like the Miss World.

As the organizers stated, she will be a breath of fresh air in the competition. The 2010 ladies – Venus Raj, Krista Mae Kleiner, Nicolette Hension and Dianne Necio – as well as her parents and brother – were around to give their warm wishes and to further boost her confidence.

Good luck, Czarina! (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB)

Will Czarina continue the Venus Raj streak and perform well enough to land among the top ladies in the Miss World 2010 finals? We’ll see…

Best of luck to you, Czarina! 😉

Here are the 2010 winners of Nuestra Belleza Mexico and Miss Espana

Posted by Norman on September 29, 2010
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Paula Guillo, 20, representing Teruel, was crowned Miss Espana 2010 at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento in Toledo over the weekend. She will now represent Spain in the Miss Universe 2011 Pageant which may be held in Vietnam. Following her as 1st Runner-Up is Carla Garcia Barber of Las Palmas who will go to Miss World 2011, with 2nd Runner-Up honors going to Celia Calvo of Bizkaia who will be fielded in the Miss Earth 2010 in Nha Trang, Vietnam this coming December.

Meanwhile, during the same weekend, Nuestra Belleza Mexico 2010 was crowned and Karin Cecilia Ontiveros Meza, representing Jalisco (just like her predecessor – Ximena Navarrete – who is now Miss Universe 2010) came out on top. The 22 year-old beauty, who stands 1.80 meters, is a university student of Industrial Design and will now take part in Miss Universe 2011. Following her as Nuesta Belleza Mundo Mexico 2011 is Cynthia dela Vega Oates from Nuevo Leon and will sit down one full year before gearing up for Miss World 2011. Gabriela Palacio of Aguascalientes, was named Nuestra Belleza Suplente in which case she will represent Mexico in any of the big two pageants should the top winners fail to do so. She might also be sent to Miss International 2010 in China this November. Placing in the Top 5 are Cecilia Flores of Cohauila and Lucia del Cueto of Distrito Federal.

Congratulations to all the winners! 😉

The Bb. Pilipinas Fashion Show

Posted by Norman on September 28, 2010
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , . 4 Comments

(L-R) Bb. Pilipinas International Krista Kleiner, Bb. Pilipinas Universe Venus Raj and Bb. Pilipinas World Czarina Gatbonton (Photo credit: MabuhayBeauties.com)

Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) in cooperation with the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) recently held a fashion show at the Ali Mall with the reigning queens strutting the runway together with PBA professional players. Much to the delight of the audience, they were able to see their favorite basketball personalities, while seeing the troika of Bb. Pilipinas winners complete after the long absence of Krista Kleiner who joined Julio Iglesias’s World Tour for three months.

Here are videos of the event (courtesy of OPMBvids):

Bb. Pilipinas Universe Venus Raj (Photo credit: Boyet Blas of MabuhayBeauties.com)

Bb. Pilipinas World Czarina Gatbonton (Photo credit: Boyet Blas of MabuhayBeauties.com)

Bb. Pilipinas International Krista Mae Kleiner (Photo credit: Boyet Blas of MabuhayBeauties.com)

Movie watch: “The Social Network” (or how Facebook all started)

Posted by Norman on September 27, 2010
Posted in: 6 The Movie Corner. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

You’ve been spending days and nights chatting, updating, arranging dates and doing all sorts of wholesome (and not-so-wholesome) things via Facebook. In fact, some people can say that their lives won’t be complete without it. But have you ever wondered how the whole thing really started and how it made a geek of a guy insanely rich and famous? Then you should watch “The Social Network” because it details – in cinematic scope – the rise to fame and fortune of Mark Zuckerberg and his friends. I actually got to read a long-ish article in Fortune Magazine about the same and, while I am not too keen on seeing the relatively ‘boring-for-the-mainstream-audience’ turn of events that made Facebook the almost indispensable online tool it is right now, I trust Director David Fincher (“Fight Club”, “Panic Room” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) to make it work.

Watch the HD trailer below…


video courtesy of YouTube/SonyPictures

I will surely head to the multiplex when the movie opens here in Manila, but for those living in the US, “The Social Network” opens wide this coming Friday, October 1. If you ask me what its’ box-office prospects are, I’d be very uncertain because this is the type of flick that may or may not hit it well with the young crowd depending on how the whole thing is filmed. Good thing it got a PG-13 rating. The people behind may have decided to cut short some scenes which could lead to being Rated R. But playing it safe, I think a US$18-20 million opening weekend would be a reasonable projection.

“The Social Network” is from Sony Pictures. It is directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin and Ben Mezrich (who wrote the book). The movie stars Jesse Eisenberg – in the role of Mark Zuckerberg – together with Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield, Joseph Mazzello, Max Minghella and Rashida Jones.

“Now It Starts”….the Stars of Party Pilipinas gather for Miguel Escueta’s song

Posted by Norman on September 26, 2010
Posted in: 5 TV Tales. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment


video courtesy of YouTube/miguelescueta

The Stars, Singers, Hosts and Performers of Party Pilipinas – GMA-7’s Sunday noontime habit – sing (lip-synch if you will) an original composition of Miguel Escueta (member of the show’s Vocalistas) titled “Now It Starts” who did the vocals. I decided to blog the video because it is a cool song to share – upbeat and ‘tunog-imported’ (foreign-sounding). Hope you enjoy listening to the song and watching the video. And make sure you catch Party Pilipinas later at 12:15PM! 😉

The World’s Oldest Man shares the ‘secrets’ of his long life

Posted by Norman on September 26, 2010
Posted in: 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Walter Breuning of Montana, USA turned 114 last September 21. He became the world’s oldest man after Henry Allingham of Britain died at age 113 middle of last year. He shared in jest that the secret ingredients behind his longevity are: “Cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women — and a good sense of humor,” according to Guinness World Records.

Though he can lay claim to being the world’ oldest man, he is only the fourth-oldest person since three women were born on an earlier date in the same year – 1896.

Kinda scary living that long….what do you think, dear readers? 😉