I don’t know if this only applies to Filipinos as I have seen some in the foreign shows I’ve watched as well… I notice that people tend to create sob stories when they join competitions. I was able to watch this Philippine Dream Academy (PDA) primer at ABS CBN 2 a week ago and I was amazed at how each one of the contestants have a sob story to tell. Of course, it could be they are telling the truth. But I don’t know, you can just feel them exaggerating their stories a bit. They make it seem like they are to be pitied by everyone.

Why can’t we just hold a contest where the winner will win base on his/her merits as a contestant and not because people pitied him/her enough to vote for him/her?

There is nothing wrong with a person, without a sob story, joining a contest and eventually winning. Yes, the stories add drama to the contest, but don’t you think this has become a trend already?

*A sob story is something about a person, usually a contestant, that will elicit pity from viewers or audiences.

Popularity: 37% [?]

I am really rooting for David Cook. I just love the guy! If he does not win this season’s American Idol, then I don’t know what taste people have in music over there. Of course, the other David (Archuleta) is giving him a run for his money. The little guy has a multitude of fans! But I’d like to think that we David Cook fans are more in number

Who are you voting for? They are now down to five. I just wish either Syesha Mercado or Brooke White will go home next.

Let’s see.

Popularity: 29% [?]

Did you watch American Idol last night? OMG! I just love David Cook! Now that Michael Johns is out of the competition, I am channeling all my positive energy to David. I just loved his rendition of Mariah Carey’s Always Be My Baby. He totally nailed it! Loved his version!

I also liked Jason Castro’s I Don’t Wanna Cry version. It’s like being at a cafe and just chillin’ out.

The guys rocked last night. The girls… well, I am not really crazy with their Mariah Carey versions.

Popularity: 82% [?]

What’s the result of the much awaited Pacquiao vs. Marquez rematch fight???

PACQUIAO WINS!!!!!!!

The most awaited Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez boxing bout is ongoing right now. Pacquiao is apparently doing good. My dad’s watching at SM North Edsa right now. While we here at home are listening to 97.1 WLS-FM, the FM radio of the GMA network.

Round 11 is ongoing at this very moment. 12:13PM

It’s over! Decision time! 12:20PM Manny Pacquiao won via a split decision!!!

PACQUIAO WINS!!!!!!! PACQUIAO WINS!!!!!!! PACQUIAO WINS!!!!!!!

Popularity: 100% [?]

Warner Bros. Pictures and the producers behind the $4.5-billion film franchise featuring the beloved boy wizard will split the seventh and final novel in the J.K. Rowling series into two films.

Yay! So they are splitting the last and final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, into two movies. Part I will be shown on November 2010 while the second part will be shown in May 2011.

I believe this is the best way of putting into film a really good book. I love how the final book was written and I hope they will not make another Order of the Phoenix version wherein there were so many important and interesting scenes in the book forgone to include irrelevant ones, particularly that kissing scene between Harry and Cho Chang.

I really wish they’ll do justice to the final book.

Can’t wait!

Popularity: 70% [?]

All photos from my Baguio trip will be posted in the next few days…

I love watching tv series. I love Heroes, Prison Break, Ugly Betty… when I was in Baguio I get to see American Idol Season 7. I have this attitude of finishing what I have started and that includes shows. I haven’t watched the past 6 seasons except the latter part of Season 1. But now, I think I am hooked.

If you are watching Season 7, have you noticed the petite but powerful singer Ramiele Malubay? Oh yes, she is a Filipina! I am amazed by this person’s powerful vocals. If you are voting, go vote for her! Read more about her HERE.

I also love Carly Smithson!

Go vote for them!

*Photo courtesy of American Idol.

Popularity: 29% [?]

I just woke up and when I opened my computer and logged on to the internet, this is the first news that I read. Sad.

Heath Ledger was found dead in his SoHo residence, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008, in New York at 3:26 PM. He was just 28. He was supposed to have had an appointment for a massage and when the massage therapist came, his housekeeper knocked on his bedroom. When no one answered, the housekeeper went inside the bedroom and found him unconscious and there were pills near his bed. Apparently, he died of drug overdose although it was not yet official.

He stars as The Joker in the coming Batman film. Sayang, I so love this guy. For those who do not know him, he was one of the two leading stars of Brokeback Mountain.

You can read more about this news at Yahoo!’s OMG.

Popularity: 24% [?]

Are you a movie junkie like me? Do you love collecting DVD copies of your favorite movies? If so, you might want a movie organizer for your growing collection. Bolide Software is offering a program that will serve as your personal movie database. No need to get confused with your growing collection. Go and check out All My Movies at Bolide Software now.

Popularity: 22% [?]

I was still a teenager when I was able to watch The Godfather. I loved it! It was a rare treat for me because I was not allowed to watch those kind of movies that time but a cousin of mine let me watch the movie. I love the characters in it. I was fascinated by the story of mobsters and gangs. I loved it so much I read the book when I saw one from another cousin.

Now I saw this The Godfather II memorabilia from MillionaireMemorabilia.com, a website that has a large collection of home theater, game room, movie star, music and sports celebrity memorabilia. The memorabilia I saw has the authentic signatures of Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and director Francis Ford Coppola’s. Now this is something that should really be treasured by fans like me. If I only have the money, I will buy this one.

MillionaireMemorabilia.com has other stuff to offer. They now have a holiday sale going on, wherein buyers get a 15% off listed prices. Wow, this is a lot of savings! You can browse the site and be enticed to see what they have to offer. The site is user friendly. Memorabilia items are easy to search.

Go check out the site now for more information.

Popularity: 21% [?]

When U heard about the news on Luciano Pavarotti’s death, I must say that I was truly saddened by it. No, I don’t know him personally. But we all know what a great artist he was. A great tenor who was not afraid to mix classical music with a bit of commercialism. I love his Pavarotti with Friends concerts. I make it a point to watch his shows even on television. It was just too bad that I did not get to watch him perform live in concert.

Good thing there are other great tenors like him still around to give us great performances. One of these tenors is Jose Carreras. He is one of the great tenors right now.

And did you know that he will be having a show in Germany come December of this year? Well I do. I got ahold of this latest from Jose Carreras at Viagogo, an online ticket exchange where you can buy and sell live event tickets in a safe and guaranteed way. Viagogo guarantees to buyers that once they purchase a ticket or win an auction and receive a confirmation email, Viagogo makes sure that the ticket will be received on time for the event. And to sellers, money will be collected once the purchase occurs.

Great place for selling and purchasing Tickets, don’t you think?

So back to José Carreras, here are the time and dates as well as locations of their upcoming shows:

• Sa 15.12.2007 20:00 CET > KönigPalast Krefeld, Krefeld
• Sa 23.08.2008 20:00 CEST > Domplatz Magdeburg, Magdeburg

So what are you waiting for? Get your Konzert Tickets at Viagogo now!

And by the way, Viagogo also caters to buyers and sellers of Theater Tickets.

Popularity: 23% [?]

I am a sucker for family dramas. I love watching shows that deals with families, siblings, mom and daughter…

Gilmore Girls is a show that deals with a relationship between a woman who got pregnant at 16 and her daughter. I love the first season of this drama because it really tackled how a single mom was able to raise a daughter on her own. I love how Lorelei (mom) and Rory (daughter) treat each other as best friends but still maintain a mother-daughter relationship. I like how Rory adores her mom so much that she is not ashamed to introduce her to everyone she knows and would rather spend Friday nights with her than go out. Watching this show, you’d wish you have the same relationship with your mom.

Seventh Heaven is another family drama I love watching. I am sure many here would relate to Holy week marathons of this show. This drama is all about how a family deals with issues within the family as well as with the society. I cannot relate with some issues because of cultural differences. But I like watching how the parents deal with their kids. And how they deal with their own issues in life.

Brothers & Sisters, as the title suggests, is all about siblings. 5 siblings with different professions and have their own lives to live but still manage to get together especially in times of trouble. 2 are already married but the other one is childless. 1 is a well-known political show host. 1 is a gay criminal lawyer. And the youngest a drug addict. I love the character of the eldest maybe because I can relate to her dilemma in doing her best to live up to her role of being the eldest in the brood.

One particular episode that I truly love is where the second sibling found out he is sterile. He was devastated and the other siblings did their best to cheer him up. And then he thought of a solution… he asked his gay brother to donate his sperm to his wife! The gay brother refused at first but in the end, his love for his sterile brother won and he and the youngest donated their sperms. Many conservative people out there will surely find this outrageous but I love how this particular episode has shown the way one can bend conventional rules for the love of another. I think even Neil Crespi will agree with me.

And of course, nothing beats the love Michael has for his brother Lincoln in Prison Break! Just imagine going to jail yourself just so you can save your brother… He went to all the trouble (even had some of his toes cut!) to be able to get his brother out of jail, illegal though it may be, and to prove he is innocent. I also love how LJ, Lincoln’s son, tells his father he loves him. How many kids these days tell their father they love them? I don’t know that many.

So there you go… these are just some of the family dramas I love watching. I will list down more in another post.

Happy Friday everyone!

Popularity: 37% [?]

I am a big fan of Foo Fighters. I love their type of music. I love the songs they dish out. Based on music videos I have watched, I love how they perform as well. I simply love the band!

Did you know they are having a series of shows in the United Kingdom? Well I do. I got ahold of this latest from the group at Viagogo, an online ticket exchange where you can buy and sell live event tickets in a safe and guaranteed way. Viagogo guarantees to buyers that once they purchase a ticket or win an auction and receive a confirmation email, Viagogo makes sure that the ticket will be received on time for the event. And to sellers, money will be collected once the purchase occurs.

Great place for selling and purchasing Tickets, don’t you think?

So back to the Foo Fighters, here are the time and dates as well as locations of their upcoming shows:

• Sat 03/11/2007 19:30 GMT > MEN Arena Manchester, Manchester
• Mon 05/11/2007 19:30 GMT > Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne
• Tue 06/11/2007 19:30 GMT > NEC Birmingham, Birmingham
• Fri 09/11/2007 19:30 GMT > SECC, Glasgow
• Sat 10/11/2007 19:30 GMT > Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, Aberdeen
• Mon 12/11/2007 19:30 GMT > Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield
• Tue 13/11/2007 19:30 GMT > Cardiff International Arena (CIA), Cardiff
• Wed 14/11/2007 19:30 GMT > Nottingham Arena, Nottingham
• Sat 17/11/2007 19:30 GMT > O2 Arena, London
• Sun 18/11/2007 19:30 GMT > O2 Arena, London

So what are you waiting for? Get your Concert Tickets at Viagogo now!

And by the way, Viagogo also caters to buyers and sellers of Sports Tickets.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Have you thought of a leisure activity that at the same time will benefit your health? How about joining a Salsa, Merengue & Bachata Dance Bootcamp?

SalsaBootCamp gives you detailed, step by step, dance instruction for absolute beginners, all the way through to advanced levels of social dancing. Now this will encourage a lot of new to salsa to come Dance with Salsa Dancing BootCamp. Yeah!

Numerous celebrities have joined the bandwagon of losing weight through dancing. Ever since this Hollywood celebrity has shown proof that dancing is an effective way to lose weight (she lost more than a hundred pounds, if I’m not mistaken), there are dancing classes that “sprouted” everywhere overnight.

But there are legitimate dance classes, or bootcamp like this, that one can join. I, myself, have joined two dance classes at my gym. I joined a hip hop class and a body combat class… but now that I have read about this SalsaCrazy’s Salsa BootCamp, I am thinking of joining as well.

Dancing can be a very effective means of shedding excess fats because it helps you sweat while at the same time, dancing is not so complicated that you don’t even notice you are losing weight while enjoying yourself. So if you want to learn salsa, check out this new instructional video website about it.  Check out Salsa Bootcamp now.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Listen up, guys! There is an upcoming American television teen drama that we can get hooked on along with the other American tv shows we watch. The CW’s Gossip Girl first season will premiere on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. Created by Josh Schwartz, the teenage drama is based on the novel series by Cecily von Ziegesar. Gossip Girl is about teenagers attending elite academic institutions while dealing with sex, drugs, and other teenage issues. Sounds like a typical teenage drama, right? Probably. But what makes it unique is the narration of a seemingly omniscient character, “Gossip Girl” (voiced by Kristen Bell), who runs a website blogging about her fellow Upper East Siders. Intriguing right? I would love to watch this drama!If you want to meet fans of this upcoming show, you can go to their MySpace Fan Page.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Actor Owen Wilson, the star of Wedding Crashers and a symbol of a carefree Hollywood lifestyle, has been hospitalised following a suicide attempt.

Wilson, 38, was transported to St John’s hospital in Santa Monica, California on Sunday. Gossip magazines said that he had cut his left wrist and taken an indeterminate amount of pills.

“I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time,” Wilson said in a statement.

Wilson was reportedly discovered by a family member, who summoned help. He is said to have arrived at the hospital in a very serious condition. His wrist was sutured and bandaged before he was transferred to Cedar-Sinai Hospital, where he underwent a detoxification procedure.

Wilson has starred in a number of successful films, including The Royal Tenenbaums , for which he earned a writing Academy Award nomination, and Zoolander .

Regarded as a fun-loving bachelor, Wilson is nicknamed the Butterscotch Stallion and was last involved with actress Kate Hudson. The relationship ended in June and, according to celebrity reports, it plunged Wilson into depression.

Popularity: 9% [?]