Your Daily Dose of Useful Stuff

It was a contest that she did not set her mind into, she the unassuming one, always just works quietly and steadily.  Not one who really works hard to be in the news, Jennylyn was so surprised to learn she bagged the crown of the Philippines' sexiest for 2015.  And who would not?  The way she takes care of her body is epic Jennylyn engages in sports and joins triathlon competitions.  This tells us she can bike, swim and run.  She does these with a passion and dedication almost like a religion.    Aside from triathlon, Jen does other physical exercises that develop many aspects of her well-being.  Who would have thought that she with the frail and tiny physique would even think of trying the traditional Filipino martial arts, arnis.   I saw a video of her with a trainer and it seems that Jen has become a competent arnis fighter.  I wouldn't dare cross her or she could beat me till I lose consciousness.   

Vanity Fair ushered the arrival of Caitlyn Jenner and people have mixed emotions about it.  Some people still could not believe that someone so popular and world-famous was willing to give up fame to give way to his, now, her, happiness.  Caitlyn Jenner is the dream-come-true of Bruce Jenner, a facially-transformed male, therefore he is Bruce Jenner no more.   Although Caitlyn often makes slips like using he, instead of she, in her mind, she was always a woman/girl.   So she wasted no time, after getting a facial transformation, and started hosting 'girls night' with her girl friends so that they can all discuss about girl stuff (whatever those are , considering she is over 60 already). How does she look now after that operation? She seemed to get the best features of Jessica Lange and Kate Winslet rolled in one, a neat package that is cover-girl worthy.  Kate Winslet's lower facial  features and Jessica Lange's sharp upper features make a grea...

This year's first casualty from local showbiz is Liezl Sumilang Martinez, who comes from local showbiz royalty.  She succumbed to lung cancer on Saturday, March 14, 2015.  Prior to lung cancer, Liezl was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in 2008, after two years of treatment, among them stem cell treatment, she recovered and was able to serve in the MTRCB (Movie and Television Review Classification Board).  Unfortunately, in 2012, cancer cells were discovered in her left lungs which ultimately caused her demise.  

She probably is not the typical beauty pageant contestant with her short-cropped hair, but boy she can carry herself regally.  Tall and shapely, Kaci hails from that nation where the music "reggae" originated.    A real dark horse, Ms. Jamaica was not even in most of the predicted top finalists, but her classy appearance, in the tradition of Hollywood beauties Audrey Hepburn and  Halle Berry,  wowed and impressed the judges.  Her modeling background did play a big role in her disposition.  Camera lenses just love her, they can't get enough of her.  

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the Philippines' bet for this year's Ms. Universe pageant, MJ Lastimosa, was, holy cow,  this girl is a dead ringer of Shamcey Supsup and like Shamcey Supsup, she has more than fifty percent chances of bagging that crown, which for the past three decades had numerously slipped from the fingers of  each Philippine candidate.   I guess, we've all sympathized with our contestants who came back home without the  major "bacon" for the past three decades, and we all felt sorry and sometimes "bitter" when Philippine contestants didn't get the crown even if majority of them did win runner-up awards. Winning runner-up is not the same as getting the major crown.  But then it's better than coming home empty-handed.  So what's MJ Lastimosa's edge over former candidates we sent to this most prestigious beauty pageant?  Frankly, while others think and believe our former contestants, the likes of ...

She will forever be Serena Van Der Woodsen to Gossip Girl fans like me, epitomizing the glamorous, girl-next-door that every teenage boy wanted to date or hang out with: a heart breaker.  Loyal fans oohed at her style and fashion, both on screen and off screen.  Her sense of style is impeccable, never wearing anything not suitable to her image, which is something between a "classy and smart fashionista."   Many adored her when she and co-star Penn Badgley became a real-life couple; her followers even prayed they will eventually end up together, like a fairy-tale ending.  Alas, fate would not hear of it.  Being young, talented and  attractive, her destiny would not be her equally attractive baby-faced co-star.  Blake would find the man of her dreams when she was casted opposite Ryan Reynolds in the movie version of Green Lantern, a DC comics character.  Their onscreen romance became for real, and they eventually tied the knot in 2012.  ...

T he most exciting day of their lives had arrived.  After they announced their engagement last August, which was rather a short one (although the groom had announced that he already asked the bride's hand  unofficially in one of their trips abroad) their date to the altar did happen last December 30, 2014, and it was an event that had no hitches at all.  Therefore, it was bound to happen. It seemed that destiny made the day perfect for the couple because there were no mishaps that would mar the beauty of the ceremony. Everything was just dreamy and dramatic in an entertaining way, not the dramatic sentimental way, because the couple are both very cool, not the uptight type.  Dingdong and Marian gave their best to satisfy the people who love them by putting together a wedding ceremony that will be unrivaled yet in the Philippines.   From the venue, which is the Immaculate Concepcion Church in QC, a church close to the groom's heart, loyal fans could alre...

People Magazine has released its traditional yearly choice of  'The Sexiest Man Alive."  This year's choice is the epitome of hunkness, a perfect blending of looks and brawn.  Not only is he sexy physically, but he possess that manly appeal, just like the former winners' Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Johny Depp, etc.  I couldn't agree more that Chris Hemsworth deserves the title.  I am just wondering why People Magazine doesn't use the title  "The Sexiest Gentleman Alive"?  We need to hear more the word 'gentleman' because it is  now an endangered species.  Famous people like Chris Hemsworth and other members of his species should help advocate the importance of being a 'gentleman.' In doing so, they can be instrumental in reviving the age old practice of chivalry.     Many men nowadays don't know how to respect and be courteous to women.  If they are, they are selective.  It is very seldom that doors are opened by...

Which is just as well.  Personally, I think getting pregnant is something we can expect of a young, beautiful and desireable lady like her and pregnancy is not something to be hidden from the curious public.  The public would appreciate you more if you are honest with them.  So for that gesture alone, I commend Christine.  She did not try to divert attention away from her by resorting to gimmickry or creating issues to escape scrutiny.  She did become quiet a while, heaven only knows what kind of soul-searching she did during the months that she went on hiatus.   Cristine's entry to local tinsel town was not as laborious as other hopefuls had experienced.  Her passage was relatively less agonizing because her older sister, Ara Mina, had paved the path for her easy access to Philippine moviedom.  The first time I became aware of Cristine Reyes was during her participation in the talent search "Starstruck."  She did not emerge as the winn...

The first time I saw Valerie Weigmann, she was tagging along with Jose Manalo and Paolo Ballesteros during Eat Bulaga's "Juan for All, and All for Juan" segment.  And she struck me as a "cool and down-to-earth person." with a knack for comedy because she had difficulty in delivering some jokes which ultimately made the joke more hilarious.   She is cool because she doesn't mind poking fun at herself and being laughed at at her funny deliveries.  In fact, she is what you see.   Now, I heard that she bagged the crown to represent the Philippines in the next Ms. World Pageant, kind of the successor of Megan Young, who is doing a great job representing the Philippines and in doing the Ms. World rounds.   Physically,  Valerie has got what it takes to compete with the fairest of candidates who will be coming from different countries.  She is tall and fit, thanks to her regular gym visits.  And most of all, she has such a very r...

The downside of being famous is that any issue, gossip, rumor about you,  no matter how small, gets easily magnified.  And it does not help that social media can spread anything like a virus, and anyone who owns a smartphone can become an instant news'stringer.    Admittedly, not everything about the digital age is ugly,  because the digital age, helped people communicate faster  and information  about everything is as quick as a blink of an eye.     One of the people who got dragged into the  showbiz mire is  actor-hunk, Derek Ramsay.  Derek found himself face-to-face with his past when his estranged wife,  Mary Christine Jolly surfaces with a surprise for all Derek Ramsay fans, their son, thus  breaking the heart of many Derek Ramsay fans in the process.   Their image of Derek as a hunky bachelor made a quick 360-degree turn.   Suddenly, he is no longer the beefcake young girls woul...

What happens when you got a rocking athletic body, stunning looks and volleyball prowess?  You are the envy of women and you get to be on the cover of one of the most popular men's magazine.  That's right, volleyball fans, FEU's "Queen Tamaraw" needs no further introduction because she is synonymous to  volleyball in the Philippines.  She is our "Leila Barros,"  Brazil's most popular female volleyball player. Rachel Ann Daquis accepted FHM's invitation to grace their cover and so come October 2014, you can buy FHM from your favorite  magazine stands and get a glimpse of Rachel Ann Daquis's life outside of the court.  If you have been following the volleyball games in the UAAP and the two professional leagues, Shakey's V-league and the Philippine Superliga, you are probably familiar with Rachel Ann and her kind of game.  

Vanessa Hudgens is just one of the many Hollywood celebrities whose naked photos were leaked by hackers online.  Other victims include Rihanna, Gabrielle Union and Johny Depp's fiancee, Amber Heard.  Apparently, this is the third time that this happened to Vanessa.  How can she allow this to happen to her  three times? Maybe she should start getting photos of her with clothes on and just admire her body in her bathroom mirror?  But that is just my humble opinion.  I still believe that no one has the right to steal anyone's private property.  If it ain't yours, then do not touch it.  Unfortunately, people like these hackers get their kicks from getting into the computers of famous people and Vanessa Hudgens was just one of them victimized.  For the information of you, my readers, Vanessa Hudgens, rose to stardom through the  High School Musical Series.   Vanessa Hudgens, played the role of the female lead character, Gab...

Ellen Adarna is one of the faces that I would consider 'angelic.'  This girl seems to have everything one could ask for:  a great body, a beautiful face and lots of money .  Being an heiress to a chain of hotels, she is just one lucky human being.  She was born with all these and now, we can add "fame" to the list.   She is often tagged as the "Paris Hilton of the Philippines," because of the above attributes.  The 'fame' part just sealed her similarities to the Hollywood hotel heiress's. We all know about Paris Hilton's oozing sexual appeal and her luxurious lifestyle and of course, her sexual exploits with equally gorgeous men.  I hope I don't sound like I envy them, OF COURSE NOT!!! NYET!!! but  I would gladly welcome with open arms one-half of their fortune, and I mean, the 'money' part.   Recently, Ellen became a HOT issue (pun intended) again and the object of gossip because her nude photos were leaked online.  Thes...

( Jeane Napoles enjoys hanging out with Hollywood's popular young actresses,  oh, well, the things money can do) Like the average Filipino, my knowledge of Jeanne Napoles is limited to what I would overhear over TV or radio. We all know that she is the pretty, socialite daughter of PDAF Queen, Janet Napoles, the PDAF Scammer.  The family activity would not even be \revealed to the public had Ben Hur Luy not exposed the modus operandi of Janet Napoles.  Now, the Filipinos, here and abroad, know almost everything about this family and what they did with the money that they allegedly scammed from the people with the help of our legislators namely:  Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr.   I'm not really going to dwell on the dynamics of the deed, I leave that to the senate fact-finding committee and anyone who is curious about this MO can go to Mr. Google and that info is available anytime, anyplace,. I'm really more interested i...

It's Cinemalaya season again, and it means we can enjoy seeing productions from independent filmmakers. Cinemalaya is a break from the movies with usual popular themes because in Cinemalaya, directors are after of the recognition of their directorial talents and skills.  That means there is no pressure to rake in profits for commercial producers.  So this is the time to really see great and aritistically created productions.  The good thing about Cinemalaya productions is that nowadays, mainstream actors and actresses are also interested in showcasing their talents for directors who want to join the Cinemalaya because it seems that they are taken more seriously if they become a part of a Cinemalaya production.  But that is just my interpretation. It is good to be in the opening day or premiere of participating movies because most lead acts appear in support of the directors or independent producers.  So it is a chance to see your favorite local actors and...

I have just read two articles all pertaining to the "big mouth' of Kris Aquino and Kris's pronouncements as to why blessings have been coming her way.   The first one talked about what positive things happened to the country when Kris, supposedly, stopped doing the big S, not shabu, mind you.  Of course, it was a satire with a big S too.  Poor Kris,  again, she succeeded in getting the ire of her haters.  It is just so like her to ignite the wick of the candle of hate.  Kris, as always, likes to test if her news-worthiness and her magic touch is still working.  Guys, what did you expect, she is the queen of all media, the local Oprah, after all.  And having a "big mouth" goes with the package, a really big one to accomodate a foot too.   People react differently to the antics of Ms. Aquino, and I say, you all bit the bait.  I have a feeling that Kris is an expert in mind-reading and a really, manipulative, sneaky diva....

  This is probably a subject that is so off-tangent.  What does Miley Cyrus got to do with a simple lifestyle ?  Na da, but she is newsworthy and whether you agree with me or not, Miley Cyrus has an enigmatic personality, bordering on extremes.  She is pragmatic on one hand yet, bold and daring on the other.  No wonder her fans adore her and her critics, well, you just have to think of a way to compete with her effectively.  We have to give Miley credit for her courage and bravery to perform stunts that totally breakaway from her wholesome image.  She knew that she would be criticized for her racy, almost pornographic performances, but she proceeded and gave a performance that people will never forget, well, people are still talking about her VMA stint after a month that she did that never-to-be-forgotten number, if that is not an achievement and a huge marketing success, I do not know what is.  You can criticize Miley for appearing on st...