Pinoy Movie Honored at Bogota International Film Festival

Raul Jorolan’s “The Red Shoes” bagged the Mencion de Honor at the recently concluded 27th Bogota Internationasl Film Festival. Held in Colombia, the festival came to an end on Oct. 7 with Colombian films "Retratos De Un Mar de Mentiras" and "La Sangre y la Lluvia" proclaimed as the big winners.

“The Red Shoes,” meanwhile, competed at the BIFF as the only Southeast Asian film in the festival alongside other top films, including this year’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, “Winter’s Bone.”

“The Red Shoes” is a tale of lost love and redemption told in a span of three decades—beginning from 1981’s tragic accident during the construction of the Manila Film Center and the 1986 People Power Revolution, to 2009, when the major characters face the consequences of their actions. Jorolan employed a non-linear narrative style and relied on historical elements to weave his story.

The cinefilipinas blog site describes the movie as such: “It boasts of superb performances by a wonderful cast led by Marvin Agustin and an ingenious story about a filmmaker, footwear, fetishes, Film Center tragedy, forgiveness, forgetful Filipinos, and the follies of the former First Lady.”

The screenplay was a finalist at the 2007 Cinemalaya competition, but the filmmakers put a hold on its production due to budget difficulties. The production later resumes when Unitel stepped in.

After Bogota, the movie will be featured at the 18th China Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival in Beijing (from Oct. 11 to 17). It will also compete in the Best Movie category at the first Vietnam International Film Festival will be held in Hanoi from Oct. 17-21, where it will be screened on Oct. 18-19—to be attended by Jorolan, writer James Ladioray and co-star Nikki Gil.

Gil, who is flying to Hanoi on October 19, is nominated in the Best Actress category.

“The Red Shoes” is also slated to be released on DVD this month.

Manila Bulettin

Rainie Yang: "I was already very old when I was young"

SINGAPORE : "I am a really pragmatic person! I don't fantasize. As a child, I was never 'Oh I want to be a plane captain'," said Taiwan pop idol Rainie Yang with a chuckle. "I was already very old when I was young. I have things all planned out. Even when I was three years old and learning to dance, I already planned to open a dance school."

So why exactly is the theme for Yang's upcoming concert tour "Fantasy" when she is such a pragmatic, down-to-earth person? It turns out the production crew came up with the theme "Fantasy" because they felt Yang had a wild and vivid imagination. Yang wasn't sure about the theme at first but later accepted it as it fit her stage persona perfectly.

"I am a very pragmatic person. I don't have fantasies. But when it comes to performing, I am very creative and I come up with a lot of fantastic ideas," explained Yang when I caught up with the 26-year-old during a recent album signing cum showcase in Singapore.

Yang is also pragmatic enough to know that no matter how interesting her show's concept is; she is still the main attraction and it will not do if she looked chubby. She is even steering clear of Singapore delicacies to stay in shape!

"As you know, I became fat awhile ago. So now I am trying to keep fit. I don't go to the gym but I work out with the furniture in my home. For example, I don't have dumbbells so I use mineral water bottles and for some exercises, I will use a sturdy table. People won't see a plump Rainie Yang but a very fit Rainie Yang [at the concert]," she declared proudly.

A slim and slender Yang will definitely pack in the crowds but the singer said her Singapore concert will also feature some improvements that will make fans, even those who attended her maiden concert in Taipei, "feel as though it is a brand new show".

LOOK BEFORE YOU HUG!

Yang's Singapore concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on October 16 is the first overseas stop of the Rainie Yang World Tour 2010, her first large scale tour after a decade in showbiz. The singer said it will be even better than her concert in Taipei because she had made improvements after receiving feedback from her management.

"The company told me to be more human. When I am about to burst into tears, I tend to try and hold it back or use a joke to block [the tears]. This stops the audience from getting into the mood so I will tell myself to release my emotions at this concert. I am looking forward to crying in Singapore," explained Yang, adding that the concert would be a good opportunity to connect with her fans.

"There were also a lot of things I wanted to say but didn't manage to during the Taipei performance because I was too happy. A lot of the things such as thanking the fans and the difficult times I went through were not expressed. I think the Singapore concert would be a great improvement [in that aspect]!"

However, she lamented that her concert fell smack dab in the middle of the prime wedding season as this made it hard to find guest performers. "I know mid October is a good time to get married. A lot of artistes have to go for weddings. It's true! On the day of my concert, about four or five of my friends have to go for weddings. You can't exactly go up to them and say 'hey, could you come [be a guest performer]' right?" said Yang.

Who the guest star will be is still a mystery. But whoever it is, Yang said she will definitely think it through before attempting to hug her guest performer, lest a repeat of her embarrassing incident with Jerry Yan at her Taipei concert occurs. They literally became an inseparable pair after the ornaments on Yang's costume got entangled with Yan’s vest when she pounced on him and gave him a big hug. In the end, the costume stylist had to be called onstage to disentangle the two, who were forced to awkwardly stand on stage while awaiting rescue.

"I just hope we (she and her guest performer for her Singapore concert) don't get hooked onto each other. I will see what he is wearing before deciding whether or not to go up and hug him," she said with a laugh.

source: Asian Fanatics

Nikki Gil and Jodi Santa Maria Also Earn International Recognition

MANILA, Philippines - We haven’t even finished celebrating the nomination of Sid Lucero for Best Performance by an Actor (for his role in “Dahil May Isang Ikaw”) at the 38th International Emmy Awards, to be held on November 21-22, and already, more local actors are reaping recognitions abroad.

According to “The Buzz” head writer, Darla Sauler, two more local celebrities have shined in their respective projects. “ASAP XV” and “E-Live” host Nikki Gil got a nod for the Best Actress category in the first Vietnam International Film Festival (VNIFF) for her performance in “The Red Shoes,” where she starred opposite Marvin Agustin.

According to the text message sent by Nikki’s mom to Bulletin Entertainment, the organizers stated that “The Red Shoes” was first spotted by a festival programmer during a screening in Cinemalaya this year, who then recommended it to the selection committee of VNIFF. The movie is also in competition for Best Picture.

The first Vietnam International Film Festival will be held from Oct. 17-21, where “The Red Shoes” will be screened on Oct. 18-19. This screening will be attended by director Raul Jorolan and writer James Ladioray.

Nikki is likewise said to be flying to Hanoi on Oct. 19 to attend the festival, and she would be staying at a 5-star hotel called Melia with other Asian stars such as Hong Kong’s Daniel Wu. "The competition will be tough, but to be nominated is such an honor already," Nikki tells Bulletin Entertainment.

Conversely, “The Red Shoes” is currently in competition in Bogota, Colombia as the only Southeast Asian film in the festival, and prior to competing in Vietnam, will be in the China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival. It is also slated to be released on DVD this month.

Meanwhile, Darla also blogged about Jodi Sta. Maria, who also flew to Korea to attend the premiere of her movie, “Chassis,” at the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF). The PIFF is the largest cinema event in Asia, and is held this year from Oct. 7 - 15 in the southern port of Seoul.

Also within the month of October, “Chassis” is likewise invited to the Vancouver International Film Festival. By November, it will be screened at the Argentina Film Festival, where Jodi is nominated for Best Actress.

By January, the film is said to be brought to the Rotterdam in the Netherlands for screening. As per Darla, Jodi said they are all competing “para sa ‘Pinas!”

Manila Bulletin

Sid Lucero, ‘Dahil May Isang Ikaw’ are 2010 International Emmy Award Nominees

Sid Lucero is nominated for Best Actor for his performance in "Dahil May Isang Ikaw" in the 2010 International Emmy Awards.

The Philippines once again captured the prestigious International Emmy nods courtesy of Sid Lucero (Timothy Mark Pimentel Eigenmann) and his teleserye “Dahil May Isang Ikaw.” The 38th International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced its list of nominees from around the world (except the US), and Sid Lucero is nominated for the Best Actor category while his teleserye “Dahil May Isang Ikaw” is nominated for Best Telenovela category.

Sid is vying for the coveted trophy against Bob Hoskins (The Street – United Kingdom), Sebastian Koch (Sea Wolf – Germany), and Leonardo Sbaraglia (Epitafios – Argentina).

Dahil May Isang Ikaw, on the other hand, is competing against two other telenovelas: Ciega a Citas from Argentina and My Love from Portugal. The winners will be announced at a black-tie ceremony on November 22, 2010 in New York, to hosted by Beverly Hills 90210 actor Jason Priestly.

Last year, the Philippines got three nominations: Best Actress for Angel Locsin for her performance in Lobo, Best Telenovela for GMA-7′s Magdusa Ka and ABS-CBN’s Kahit Isang Saglit.

No Filipino actor or tv program has won an International Emmy to date.

Yesung expresses his disappointment about criticism towards idol groups not being able to sing

Super Junior’s Yesung recently revealed his thoughts regarding articles comparing the singing abilities between idol groups and ‘Superstar K2‘ contestants.

During a press conference for the musical ‘Spam-a-lot’ held on October 1st, Yesung said, “I read an article about idol group members having no singing abilities when compared to the contestants of Superstar K2 and I couldn’t believe it.”

He continued, “Some people have this flimsy prejudice against idols, that since we’re idols we can’t do things like this. Even if we’re idols, there are still people who work hard.

“There were also biased views against idols in the musical world. When I first did the musical ‘Namhan Fortress’, I wanted to destroy that image.”

Yesung participated in the Korean original musical ‘Namhan Fortress‘ last year, and since then many other male idol group members have been following his footsteps, challenging themselves in the musical world as well.

Yesung emphasized, “I have pride that I was the first ever idol group member to participate in a musical. I find 1 hour of practicing for a musical with other actors better than 100 hours of acting class.”

Meanwhile, the comical musical ‘Spam-a-lot’ is about King Arthur on his way to find the Holy Grail and will wrap up promotions on January 2nd 2011.

source: allkpop

Barbie Xu caught holding hands with...

After a failed romance with Vic Zhou , are things finally looking up for Barbie Xu in the romance department?

Taiwanese artiste Barbie Xu (also better known as Da S) has been single for more than two years following her separation from Vic Zhou in Jan 2008. The 33-year-old actress was recently spotted in the company of Shone An, a member from the now-defunct pop group, Comic Boys.

The pair was seen chatting and holding hands as they made their way to Shone's birthday celebration.

Although Barbie instinctively pushed her cap down to shield her face when the both of them discovered the presence of paparazzi, she did not shrink away from Shone's side and continued holding onto hand.

When the photos surfaced on the internet, Barbie commented on the Chinese micro-blogging platform, Wei Bo, and wrote, "Shone, we were followed! Our photos were snapped and there are even rumours! I really look like your aunty..."

In response to Barbie's statement, Shone replied a few minutes later saying, "You don't look like an aunty. You are a hot babe."

Barbie's manager, Dou Dou, refuted allegations of a blossoming romance between the pair and expressed, "There shouldn't be [any romance]! The both of them are just really good friends who have known each other for many years. It was Shone's birthday and the both of them happened to be in Beijing and met at the party.

"His relationship to Barbie is similar to his relationship with Ady Ang. They are like siblings!"

Commenting on the part of Barbie and Shone holding hands, Dou Dou explained that Shone was merely being a gentleman "taking care of Barbie who injured her hand during filming".

"Barbie was in Beijing to treat her hand. She will continue filming in Hangzhou today," the manager added.

As for the pair's constant exchanges on Wei Bo, Dou Dou chuckled, "It's [Barbie and Shone's exchange on Wei Bo] not very frequent and only happened over the past few days. As they are both in Beijing and have met up with each other, there would naturally be more exchanges!"

Negating on the possibilities of a romantic relationship between Barbie and Shone, she revealed that the company is also waiting to hear good news from the actress on her love life.

"But there is really none now!" Dou Dou replied.

At a press conference for Reign of Assassins held a few days ago, Barbie expressed that she has "Yet to meet the right person". When asked about her ideal boyfriend qualities, the Summer Scent actress said, "I do not care about status, nationality, or age. As long as he is right, things will work out."
source: xinmsn