Bruges is a town in Belgium which the home of many a famous buildings, museums, and beautiful bridges and canals. It is also the setting for a movie that is bloody exciting and darkly hilarious. It’s a killer comedy with hidden dramatic undertones entitled, “In Bruges”.

The movie tells of two Irish hitmen who hideaway in a Belgian city called Bruges. As they wait for instructions from their boss, the two go around town, do some sightseeing and talk about their pasts, beliefs and shame. Things go crazy, emotions get tangled and lives are ended as the story revolves “In Bruges”

This movie is director, Martin McDonagh’s first full length film offering and it did not disappoint. Aside from being well-directed, it was also creatively written (also by McDonagh). Each line the actors spoke was purposeful, funny and sharp. It was the script that totally blew the film over the top. The movie was intense and full of drama because it talks about the feeling of guilt, the idea of honor and death but because of the way it was delivered, it virtually was weightless to watch.

The two hitmen in which the story revolves around are “Ken” played by Brendan Gleeson (popularly known for his portrayal as “Mad Eye” Moody in Harry Potter films), and “Ray” performed by Colin Farrell (“Alexander” and “Tigerland”). Ralph Fiennes (“The Constant Gardener” and Lord Voldemort in “Harry Potter”) played the edgy boss of the two hitmen. Excellent performances all around given that the three dominated most (if not all) of the screen time. What else would you expect from the veteran actors? One thing though, I was never really a fan of Farrell’s acting, but man, he got me in this movie hook, line and sinker. Kudos to him for a wonderful performance, this is the kind of role he should do more of, and stay away from ambiguously gay conqueror roles.

This film was a shocker for me. I still can’t believe I like it this much. I also can’t believe it only got one Oscar nom. They story is full of twists, the script is riddled with hilarious quips and the limited cast allows us to focus on each character’s predicaments. I was fully drawn in by the movie, relishing each turn the director takes. The sheer brilliance of this film is that it shies away from the tried-and-tested and goes with a bolder, more thrilling approach; as do all wonderful movies do.


It gets a f@#king 4.7 out of 5 or 94% infectious


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Crazy About Barbie

Young and old girls alike are crazy about Barbie. While some limit themselves to playing with or just simply dreaming about being Barbie, Cindy Jackson, had more than 16 surgeries to look like the "real thing" (ironic as it is).

Life "Altering"

Who in the right mind would literally alter themselves to look like a plastic toy whose figure is exactly the kind that feminists, or even normal people know is a false "ideal" look? Well Cindy does, and has gone under the knife to prove she can do it.

Her advice to girls everywhere: Never lose sight of your dreams - no matter how unlikely they may seem!

Now if that's not being "real" (pun intended) i don't know what is.

















http://www.cindyjackson.com

Hairspray goes Pinoy with a powerhouse cast:

Heading the cast is newcomer Madel Ching as Tracy Turnblad. An Ateneo student, Madel was one out of over 300 people who auditioned for a part in the musical.

Joining her are Michael de Mesa as Edna, Dulce as Motormouth Maybelle, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Velma Von Tussle, Nyoy Volante as Seaweed J. Stubbs, Monica Reynoso as Penny, Noel Rayos as Corny Collins, Enchang Kaimo as the Female Authority Figure, Gabe Mercado as the Male Authority Figure and also making their professional theatre debut, Tim Espinosa as Link Larkin and Christine Allado as Amber Von Tussle. Joining them in the ensemble are Jordan Aguilar, Emy Alcid, Caisa Borromeo, Mayen Cad, Erika Cedilla, Red Concepcion, Gerlin Francisco, Bea Garcia, Crienna House, Yanah Laurel, Cheeno Macaraig, Michael Odoemene, Anthony Ong, Mark Tayag, and Lee Villoria.

HAIRSPRAY is directed by Bobby Garcia, Choreography by Cecille Martinez, Musical Direction by Archie Castillo, Production Design by Gino Gonzales, Lighting Design by Shoko Matsumoto and Specialty wigs by The Broadway Wig Co.

Based on the original John Waters film, HAIRSPRAY is the winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical and was also made into a hit movie musical starring John Travolta.

Hairspray is based upon the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters, with a book by Mark O`Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

In Hairspray it`s 1962 - the `50s are out and change is in the air. Baltimore`s Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion--to dance. She wins a spot on the local TV dance program, "The Corny Collins Show" and, overnight, is transformed from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity. But can a trendsetter in dance and fashion vanquish the program`s reigning princess, win the heart of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a television show without denting her `do? Only in Hairspray! Welcome to the `60s!

The musical features an original score by Marc Shaiman (who co-wrote the music and lyrics for the acclaimed animated musical, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut) and Scott Wittman. Their songs take Tracy from the soundstage of a 60`s-style dance show to the streets of Baltimore to a downtown rhythm and blues record shop.

Hairspray has also become one of the most successful and popular movie musicals starring John Travolta, Zach Efron and Michelle Pfeiffer.

- Carlo Soriano

ANGELES CITY, PAMPANGA - Parokya ni Edgar fans come hither, as our favorite local band is playing at R&B Music Venue, Angeles City, Pampanga this November 16th so if you are one of the unlucky ones who can't make it to Rihanna and Chris Brown's concert at the Fort, you might want to come to this one. You'll need to shell out P 400 for a ticket.

-Carlo Soriano

Folded & Hung is a privately held clothing company known in the Philippines for its brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1998. The company's celebrity endorsers includes Claudine Barretto, Maja Salvador and Angel Locsin.^[1]

The People's Champ - Manny "Pac-man" Pacquiao is scheduled to fight Oscar De La Hoya who is 4" taller than him on December 6 and we all just can't wait: nor does the World Boxing Council for that matter as it says that Manny still has unpaid dues amounting to $130,000. Pacquiao's camp said that they are apologetic that they have not kept in touch with the WBC as early as they could but promised to settle the said amount asap.

Patriotism aside, the U.S. is having a bailout plan, Pacquiao is settling $100K++, and $100 million is going to the winner of this fight? Talk about allocation. Just tax Vegas and I'm sure it will alleviate the situation.

Now this struck me as interesting: Ateneans (Students of Ateneo, duh) taking up Information Design are raising a vendetta against the use of a font as it allegedly undermines the quality of thinking which is put into design. We agree. Tell us what YOU think.

Created by Kris Wilson of Explosm.net

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - TWO of the hottest international artists today, Rihanna and Chris Brown, will have a back to back one-night concert in Manila.

Dubbed "Rihanna and Chris Brown Live in Manila," the concert will be staged at the Bonifacio Global City Open Field in Taguig on November 16, 2008 at 8 p.m.

There was once a rumor that the concert was cancelled but it is now on its full swing courtesy of MTV Philippines.

Rihanna and Chris Brown are both highly-acclaimed international R&B singers. Chris is known for his chart-topping hit singles like "Run It!," "Kiss, Kiss," "With You," and "Forever." He was a Grammy nominee. His albums were consistently certified platinum.

Rihanna, on the other hand, is a Grammy awardee. She came to fame in 2005 when she released her first album "Music of the Sun." She is also a chart-buster with breakthrough singles "SOS," "Umbrella," "Take a Bow," "Disturbia," and "Live Your Life."

Almost exactly a year after the arrival of the EOS 40D, Canon has announced the 50D, which we're assured will be a sister-model, rather than a replacement. Recent history has seen Canon release new models every 18 months-or-so but it's been a busy year with newcomers such as the Nikon D300 getting a lot of attention in the 40D's keen-amateur/professional segment.

The 50D is essentially a 40D body wrapped around a newly-developed 15 megapixel sensor that finally rectifies the situation in which Canon's XXD range trailed the company's entry-level line, in pixel terms. Canon is claiming that the new sensor's design (new manufacturing processes, redesigned photo diodes and micro lenses) mean that despite the higher resolution image noise has improved, something we'll be putting to the test later.

The other big change is the inclusion of a new, high-resolution LCD screen. 920,000 dots mean that it can convey 640 x 480 RGB pixels, making it effectively a VGA standard monitor. Three anti-reflection layers built into the screen do their best to keep it useable in bright conditions, too.

It is a big weekend for devout pageant fans this week as two grand slam pageants go back-to-back: Miss International on November 8th, and Miss Earth, November 9th.

The first half had actually just been concluded when Alejandra Andreu, a 17 -year-old stunner, from Zaragoza, Spain won the Miss International 2008 title a few hours ago in Macao.

Below is the complete list of winners:

WINNER: SPAIN, Alejandra Andreu
1st Runner Up: COLOMBIA, Maria Cristina Diaz Granados
2nd Runner Up: POLAND, Anna Tarnowska
3rd Runner Up: CHINA, Chang Wen Liu
4th Runner Up: CZECH REPUBLIC, Zuzana Putnarova

Semi-finalists:
ECUADOR
JAPAN
LEBANON
PHILIPPINES
PUERTO RICO
TURKEY
VENEZUELA

SPECIAL AWARDS:
MISS PHOTOGENIC: Spain
BEST NATIONAL COSTUME: Aruba
MISS NATURAL BEAUTY: Belarus
MISS FRIENDSHIP: El Salvador

Binibining Pilipinas-International 2008 Patricia Fernandez made it as a semi-finalist. The last time the Philippines made it to the semis was in 2005, when Precious Lara Quigaman also won Miss International.


Incidentally, Spain's entry for Miss Earth 2008, Adriana Reverón, is also perceived as a top favorite for the crown. Even their bet for Miss World 2008 this December is foreseen as a major contender by bookmakers and pageant pundits. Will Spain be country of the year for 2008? Let's wait and see.

We wish Miss Philippines-Earth 2008 Karla Paula Henry the best of luck tomorrow as Miss Earth draws to its grand finale.

And again to Patricia, Kudos and Mabuhay!

If there was ever a common denominator about Filipinos is that we can't get enough humor and relentlessly try to make others laugh and feel good about themselves. This is exactly what the fresh and funny "v-log" happyslip is. Created, directed and starred by Fil-American Christine Gambito, her ingenious and infectious vlog has caused more than just a stir in youtube.com: it was voted second most popular vlog. Mostly her comedy routines poke fun at Filipino habits, gestures and peeves.

Her wikipedia description reads:

Gambito attributes her nickname "HappySlip" to her Filipino mother's mispronunciation of "half slip":

“As a child, my Filipino mom would always remind me to wear a half-slip with skirts. However, the way she would pronounce the phrase was misleading: "Your hap e-slip! Be sure to wear your hap e-slip!" So I naturally went around calling the thing a 'happy slip,' until friends at school corrected me by asking if I had a 'sad slip' as well.”

At her personal site, she explains that the phrase is not only a funny phrase from the past, but it also reflects what she would like people to feel when they watch her videos, hoping they will “slip into happiness” while watching.

Click here to see all of her hilarious videos.