MANILA, Philippines - 1. Boom of the babies
Justin Bieber might be a punch line to some, but to his 2M plus followers on Twitter, he is god. On the day a Turkish hacker infiltrated cyberspace, causing everyone’s Twitter’s followers to dispappear, Justin had this to say. “One day, I woke up in LAS and suddenly I’m not popular anymore.” Awww. Poor boy. But then the Canadian suddenly got hold of the hacker info and then he tweeted, “You hacker you—whoever you are, you are making more than 2M girls sad.” How’s that for chutzpah? It must be the hair. True to his name, this Justin is truly a magnet for beavers.
Speaking of babies, even in our local shores, there’s been this obsession with babies! That Aqua Bendita chick Xyriel Manabat brought the ratings to an all time high, and so the ABS peeps gave her her own Momay. GMA’s First Timers Barbie Forteza, Joshua Dionisio and Jhake Vargas have been making primetime TV ratings skyrocket. For the GMAi-chat tv, these kids were able to draw over 50,000! And for a malll show, SM had to close and cancel the event as the mall could not accommodate the number of people who stampeded in. Barbie is 12 by the way.
2. First Boy in Noy’s cabinet?
“Two days ago I was surprised. It was being talked about among friends and family. But there was no formal offer,” Boy Abunda tells Supreme.
“I don’t know who raised my name for cabinet members that I would be a great secretary of the Department of Tourism, or anything marketing-oriented.”
Noynoy Aquino, of course, has the best words for Boy, calling him an “icon,” among other superlatives. The thing is, Boy knows very well that going into politics takes preparation — morally , intellectually, emotionally, financially.
“Do I have enough tenacity to learn and unlearn? It’s a judgment call—you know who you are. Financially, I am not ready — I can only support myself and my nanay. And to be in politics, you have to be comfortable enough so you can serve.”
Boy continues to amaze me with his wisdom and self-assurance.”I am happiest where I am today—without being falsely humble about it, I am at the best of my game. It is going to be hard to uproot me from where I am.”
The workaholic Boy who just got his degree from the University of the Philpiines says he still has a lot to do in show business. “I want to produce TV shows, movies, discover stars, there are still so many things that want to do.”
He is proud of his relationship with our President-apparent. “My relationship with Noy is very special. I talk to him, I write him for advice in life and in the things that are important to us. I do it in my capacity as friend, a brother, a citizen. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
So we go back to the question, “Are you going to accept the job as tourism secretary? “No,” he answered quickly.
“Are you closing your doors to a government position?” “No,” he continued.
“Is it going to happen now? “ “No.” Boy is one person who’s always sure of his convictions.
As we all know, “timing is everything.”
3. ‘Two points to Tricia because she is annoying’
In less than a dozen words, Australian housemate James articulated what PBB Teen Clash viewers have known all along. Burn! This time, it’s safe to assume that the Pinay teen in question wasn’t edited to come off as the resident Regina George of Kuya’s house. She probably just is.
4. Plyometrics
After the Blackberry craze, celebrities have a new fitness addition. Because everybody and their mother and their dog are already running, celebs like Ruffa Gutirrez, Anne Curtis, Solenn Heussaff, Georgina Wilson, Belle Daza, Mikaela Lagdameo-Martinez, even Lucky Manzano are recent converts to a new regime called plyometrics!
“Plyometrics is a performance enhancement training. It is part of the ‘Fort Rock’ full-body conditioning program equipped for both the active and the sedentary lifestyle. Plyometrics breaks down hard disciplined regimen of athletes into something man and woman of all ages could do. It focuses on ‘explosiveness’ and quick movement for a healthier and fitter you!” says Aries Fonacier, the man responsible for the newest craze (see above).
Sessions are done at the Polo field right before sunset, and is a combination of mat work, boxing, jumping, running, kicking, bars — in short, boot camp! Yes, let’s take it to the next level!
5. Open letter obsession
First, there was “Dear Noynoy,” then there was “Dear Gloria,” and now, the Interwebs are exploding with open letters to public officials both pleasant and putrid. Not bad for a country where, just 30 years ago, one could get killed for expressing his opinions. But that’s not to ignore the vile that people are now allowed to say.
Considering the negativity we see online these days, should we put a limit to freedom of expression? Not so, says “Dear Noynoy” and “Dear Gloria” founder Gang Badoy, who also heads socio-civic group RockEd Philippines.
“By default, there should be no boundaries for freedom of expression,” Gang says. “But I moderate letters by keeping things in context: A Facebook page in ‘thoughtful suggestions for an incoming president’ is not an FB page about ‘losing candidates and how much better they are than Noynoy.’”
That’s a great guideline!
6. Noynoy news of the week: To Malacañang or not to Malacañang?
Last week, he got a bit ticked off when everyone, it seemed, bugged him to quit smoking. Before that, he wanted to take his oath, not in front of the new chief justice of the Supreme Court, but in front of a barangay captain. This time, it’s about his decision not to live in the palace by the Pasig because of “negative vibes.” Noynoy Aquino hasn’t even been sworn in yet and already his presidency is off to a whiny — and somewhat inauspicious — start.
7. Pa-Rainioa
After the suffocating heat of summer, a heavy storm is coming our way. We’re not talking about Al Gore’s gloomy mood coming here this June 8 — right at the heels of his recent divorce. It’s June and we’re talking about the rainy season! Filipinos are starting to worry about a repeat of last year’s Ondoy. But readers, don’t let bad thoughts flood in your head because this inclement weather happens every year. It is time to be prepared like our Navotas brethren who live the Venice life. In any case, we can finally get out that Zara raincoat we’ve been dying to parade.
8. BP vs Planet Earth, BP vs Twitter
If you haven’t been following the ridiculously spot-on BP Public Relations Twitter account, you need to now because whoever’s behind it is a genius. BP wants Twitter to shut down the mock account that’s poking fun at the oil company. Meanwhile, Twitter wants BP to shut down the oil leak that’s ruining the ocean. So there.
9. The End of T.V?
It is the age of comebacks. The end is only the beginning. The once highly popular Heroes was abruptly cancelled but promises to mutate into a miniseries soon enough. Government agent Jack Bauer of 24 dodges the finale bullet and manages to jump into film after an eight-season run. Simon Cowell recently performed his swan song at American Idol but will be back with X-Factor next year to outshine his previous show. And with all these never-ending loose threads, viewers were finally rewarded with the last episode of the mystery bender that was Lost. As lost as they were during its sixth season, the finale unearthed all its secrets from the sand and proved that a show can end and age gracefully (counterpoint: Sex and the City 2) .
10. Lume-level up
Francis Flores, the multi-awarded marketing and brand genius behind all that catchy Greenwich barkada “Level UP” ads, has been promoted to group head of marketing of Greenwich, Chowking and Caffe Ti-Amo effective June 15. Luis Velasco, also from the Greenwich barkada, has been promoted as well to Greenwich marketing director. As the Greenwich gang says, “Lume-level up ka na!”
11. Overseas Filipino winner!
Bruno Mars, the featured artist in the hit single Nothing on You by B.O.B. is part Filipino/half Puerto Rican. His real name is Peter Hernandez.
12. Everybody wants an iPad… and we’re giving one away!
Just kidding!
Seriously, right when we thought cellphones were no longer status symbols, Apple comes by with this crazily overpriced device. We mean, doesn’t the iPad only widen the schism between people who can pay P35,000 for a touch screen and people who can only pay P20 to use a computer shop PC for an hour?
Another thing: Not only is the iPad overpriced, it’s extremely over-prized. With everyone from call centers to job-hunting websites putting some up for grabs, we wonder where everyone’s getting their Apple sponsorship checks. ‘Cause let’s be honest, if the only reason people are lining up in front of you is to get an iPad, you haven't attracted a very deep crowd.
That’s why Supreme’s open call for writers comes happily prize-free! Now, if someone were to gift us an iPad… that’d be a different story. (Which we will not entertain for ethical reasons — Ed.)