The Ultimate Fan

Jessica Sanchez is looking fierce on the cover of Mega magazine’s January 2013 issue. The Filipino-American singer has always been model-like and fashion conscious that her outfits in American Idol has always been among the things people looked out for.

The full trailer for ABS-CBN’s upcoming series Juan Dela Cruz has been released. It stars Coco Martin as Juan, a “tagabantay” who is destined to battle forces of evil. Juan, however, is half “tagabantay” and half-“aswang” but he was brought up by a priest so he has both the morals of a Christian and the physical strength of an “aswang.”

ABS-CBN has released the music video of the upcoming romantic comedy Kahit Konting Pagtingin . It is the teleserye debut of Angeline Quinto, who also sang the theme song of the series. Kahit Konting Pagtingin also stars Sam Milby and Paulo Avelino as Angeline’s leading men.

Star Cinema’s Sisterakas is doing so well in the box-office and is the most-watched of all eight 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entries since day one. Starring Vice Ganda, Kris Aquino and Ai-Ai Delas Alas, the Wenn V. Deramas-helmed movie made P39.2-million on the first day of MMFF. It only showed that aside from the comic talents of the cast, Filipinos chose to laugh on Christmas day, rather than cry, be afraid, or be amazed with magical characters.

Mister Philippines 2012 first runner-up Jessie Bayudang temporarily replaced winner Marc John Gutoman to the title as announced by Mister Philippines Inc. in its Facebook page. Gutoman reportedly went to work abroad for the benefit of his family, reason why he couldn't do his duties now as Mister Philippines.

Marco Gumabao and Miles Ocampo may be having a lot of misunderstandings in ABS-CBN’s LUV U , but the two seem to forgive and forget for the New Year. In the episode teaser, JB (Marco) and Camille (Miles) “kiss and make up” with the help of Ayen (Karen Reyes), the girl that Camille has been jealous at.

Kris Aquino hosted the awards night of the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) last Thursday with KC Concepcion. The megadaughter was captivating enough, but it was really the presidential sister that kept everyone’s eyes glued. Kris wore a green Cary Santiago gown that revealed much cleavage and had see-through illusion in places.

Julia Montes visits Vice Ganda in the comedian’s comedy talk show this Sunday, December 30, and she is seen in the trailer literally letting her hair down while… sexy dancing? Both Julia and Vice have a currently-showing Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry. Vice stars in the box-office Sisterakas opposite Kris Aquino and Ai-Ai de las Alas, while Julia is in the cast of the teen horror The Strangers opposite Enchong Dee and Enrique Gil.

The fourth season of Pilipinas Got Talent is really coming very soon. After the nationwide auditions, ABS-CBN is now preparing for the Judges Audition which will be held at the PAGCOR Grand Theater in Parañaque City. If you want to watch the Judges Audition live, all you have to do is go to the venue on January 16, 17 and 18, 2012 so you’ll have the chance to see the contestants before they are seen on television.

ABS-CBN’s noontime show It’s Showtime beat GMA-7’s Eat Bulaga! on Monday, December 24, but the Kapuso program regained viewership over the Kapamilya show on Christmas day, Dec. 25. Televiewers were for sure busy preparing for Noche Buena on the 24th that even the primetime viewership was a little low. Ina Kapatid Anak only got 25.4% but it was still the most-watched program for that day.

ABS-CBN shows still top weekday and weekend national TV ratings according to Kantar Media’s survey. Ina Kapatid Anak was the most-watched television program on December 21 with 31.3% TV rating, followed by Princess And I with 29.6%.

Regal Films has released the trailer of Seduction which stars Richard Gutierrez, Sarah Lahbati and Solenn Heussaff. Based on the title alone, the movie has a very sexy theme. And although Solenn is the most daring, Richard also sheds some clothes off, as well as his real life girlfriend Sarah Lahbati.

The 38th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) awards night was held on Thursday, December 27, 2012. As expected, Nora Aunor won Best Actress for her performance in the movie Thy Womb which was directed by Brillante Mendoza who also took home the Best Director award. It was a two-peat for Dingdong Dantes who won Best Actor for his role in Star Cinema’s One More Try . He was also last year’s Best Actor for his role in Segunda Mano , also produced by the ABS-CBN film outfit.

No, it’s not yet summer but it’s Metro magazine’s Body Issue (January 2013) with young actor Enchong Dee looking so hot on the cover! The Ina Kapatid Anak star is wearing a little pair of black and white shorts on the cover photo shot by Doc Marlon Pecjo on location at the lovely shores of Dahican Beach in Mati City, Davao Oriental.

Love teams Kim Chiu and Xian Lim of Ina Kapatid Anak and Kathryn Bernardo and Enrique Gil of Princess And I will lead this Sunday’s year-end episode of ASAP 2012 . ASAP will feature the ‘best of the best’ surprises and performances in the New Year countdown party which will also be joined by teen stars Ella Cruz and Francis Magundayao of Aryana , Khalil Ramos and Sofia Andres of Princess And I , plus Be Careful With My Heart cuties Jerome Ponce, Janella Salvador, Claire Ruiz and Marlo Mortel.

Angeline Quinto will surely have a headache choosing between two handsome leading men, Paulo Avelino and Sam Milby, in the upcoming romantic comedy series Kahit Konting Pagtingin . The series is directed by Darnel Villaflor and is among the Kapamilya programs that will air in January.

For those who miss seeing her act on television, Shaina Magdayao topbills the Maalaala Mo Kaya episode this Saturday, December 29, where she plays the wife of a comatose husband. She portrays the role of Enez, a young woman who had an unplanned pregnancy during the time when both she and her boyfriend Marvin (Bryan Santos) are still financially not ready. Since they had to be wed immediately, they just settled for a simple civil ceremony instead of a church wedding which is their dream.

TV5’s superhero series titled Kidlat is airing soon this January, reason why you’ve been seeing those big ads on EDSA. Also, the Kapatid Network has released a one-minute, thirty-second trailer of the series on Christmas day which allowed us to have an idea of where Kidlat’s powers came from, and a glimpse on how the villains look like. Kidlat stars Kapatid hunk Derek Ramsay. His navy blue and yellow superhero costume was designed by a Hollywood-based designer who worked on X-Men and Daredevil .

Star Cinema’s Sisterakas and One More Try are two of the most-watched movies in the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). MMFF opened on December 25 and it collectively grossed Php 105.4-million on its first day alone.

Selling of tickets for Regine Velasquez’s January 5, 2013 concert “Silver… Rewind” starts today, December 27th. “Silver… Rewind” is the free repeat of her November 16 silver anniversary concert. Ticket holders of the first concert were asked to exchange their old tickets for free ones from Dec. 1-25. Unclaimed tickets, plus those originally distributed as complimentary in the first concert, are now being sold by producers to make up for production expenses.

TV Patrol , ABS-CBN’s flagship news program, topped national TV ratings on December 20 due to Filipinos wanting to know more about Janine Tugonon’s runner-up finish at the Miss Universe 2012 pageant that was aired via satellite on the same network that morning. Pinoys, including the blogger, were curious to know why Ms. Philippines wasn’t declared the winner when she delivered the best answer during the final Q&A of the pageant.

ABS-CBN indeed rules primetime television as evident in the latest data by Kantar Media. According to the firm’s survey, Ina Kapatid Anak was the overall top TV program on December 21, beating its rival teleseryes – GMA-7’s Aso Ni San Roque and Pahiram Ng Sandali . Topbilled by Kim Chiu, Xian Lim, Maja Salvador and Enchong Dee, Ina Kapatid Anak got a 31.3% national TV rating, as compared to Aso Ni San Roque’ s 16.6% and Pahiram Ng Sandali’ s 14.6%.

The fight between Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire and Mexican boxer Jorge Arce was the most watched television program on Sunday, December 16th, according to the national survey done by Kantar Media. Donaire’s third round knockout win gave Pinoys that much-needed boost after Manny Pacquiao was knocked out by Juan Manuel Manuel a week before that.

A photo of Carmina Villaroel and Zoren Legaspi during their much-talked about wedding is on the cover of Yes! magazine’s January 2013 issue. The mag takes us behind the scenes of the surprise wedding with details captured in 140 photos.

Anne Curtis, Robin Padilla and Kris Aquino are caught in a love triangle in the upcoming television series titled Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw . Set to premiere in January, the series centers on the story of sisters Roxanne (Kris) and Ruth (Anne) who will both fall in love with Bogs (Robin), a policeman who is searching for truth to clear the name of his father.

Of all the eight official movie entries to the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), Sisterakas topped the box office results on Christmas day, the festival’s opening day. The comedy film topbilled by Vice Ganda, Kris Aquino and Ai-Ai de las Alas reportedly grossed P39.2-million on first day alone, beating out the other entries which include the fantasy Si Agimat, Si Enteng Kabisote At Si Ako which only ranked second with P29.5-million.

Nonito Donaire was named “Fighter of the Year” by ESPN. Nicknamed “The Filipino Flash,” he moved up to junior featherweight this year and won four of his fights.

Everyone may be waiting for the premiere of Kahit Konting Pagtingin , but you can see Angeline Quinto act on television sooner than that. This Saturday, the singer is the featured actress in Wansapanataym . She plays the role of someone who is given a chance to go back to the past to prevent a certain incident from happening which, in turn, changed her life for the better.

GMA-7 has released a new trailer for the upcoming series Indio which stars Bong Revilla. It premieres this January in the network’s Telebabad (primetime) block. The new trailer showed more of the cast as compared to the previous one. It also showed the main character Indio as a baby, pre-pubescent (Vincent Magbanua), and as a young adult (Alden Richards)

Since the Christmas spirit is still very present in the air, here’s a video of Phillip Phillips giving I’ll Be Home For Christmas a different feel that I’m starting to appreciate country music more.

It’s almost Noche Buena while I’m writing this and my dogs are all whimpering, gathered at my feet wanting to be comforted. They loath the deafening sound of firecrackers from the neighbors, and I knew, just like in the past years, their shaking would get worse as the booming noises grow louder and more frequent as the New Year draws near. I haven’t been blogging much because I’ve always been feeling so sleepy due to Simbang Gabi. (And yes, I completed all nine masses.)

Christmas is still a few hours away but I’m already getting excited for Valentine’s Day with the announcement of this wonderful concert that puts four of the most well-loved concert artists in the country together. Ex-couple Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez team up with the husband and wife tandem of Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid in this Valentine concert aptly titled “Foursome.”

She used to be just the voice behind the theme songs of some well-loved ABS-CBN teleseryes, but now Angeline Quinto will star in her very own television series that will surely bring smiles and love to televiewers every single day. Titled Kahit Konting Pagtingin , the series will also star Sam Milby and Paulo Avelino as Angeline’s leading men. Its recently-released teaser implies a very light story and it’s quite good to know as romantic comedies are doing well as of late (read: Be Careful With My Heart ).

Jun Lana's Bwakaw failed to make it in the shortlist of movies vying for spots in the Best Foreign Film category of the 85th Academy Awards. The movie which is about the life of an old man and his friendship with a dog got good reviews from foreign critics. It even recently gave lead star Eddie Garcia a best actor award at the 55th Asia Pacific Film Festival.

MasterChef Pinoy Edition is now down to its Top 10 home cooks after some weeks of elimination. Betty Bais, the housemaid from Cebu, got eliminated this morning, December 24. Sad Christmas, eh? But at least she will get to spend the holidays with her family without worrying about the competition anymore.

Enchong Dee admitted in The Buzz that he and Julia Montes became more than friends before their busy schedules became a hindrance to their blossoming love affair. The Kapamilya actor, however, wouldn’t say that they became a couple despite their special friendship because he was, during that time, still waiting for her to turn 18.

Shake Rattle and Roll 14 , as well as the other seven official entries to the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), will open in cinemas on Tuesday, December 25. In line with that, the Parade of Stars was held on Sunday featuring the cast of the movie entries in their respective floats. SRR 14 is one of the two horror films in the festival this year (the other one being The Strangers ) so fans of the genre will have a choice.

Fans of Coco Martin and Julia Montes may miss seeing the love team in the recently-ended Walang Hanggan but they are actually in for a treat as the tandem is busy shooting scenes for their first movie together under Star Cinema. The movie which is titled A Moment in Time is being directed by Manny Palo. It is said to premiere on January 16, 2013.

Check out the poster for Juan Dela Cruz , an upcoming Kapamilya series topbilled by Coco Martin. Coco Martin will play the role of a “tagapagbantay” in the series, a hero that battles with the forces of evil using the Holy Cross which shifts into different kinds of weapons depending on what is needed – Pana ng Karunungan, Latigo ng Katarungan, Sibat ng Kagitingan and Espada ng Katapangan.

Ruel S. Bayani, director of One More Try , described his movie as “the sexiest kind of family drama” that is a perfect family movie this Christmas. Graded A by the Cinema Evaluation Board, he also considered it a “casting coup” as the roles of Angel Locsin, Dingdong Dantes, Zanjoe Marudo and Angelica Panganiban suited them well. One More Try is one of the eight official entries to the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival. The festival will have a grand parade tomorrow afternoon, December 23, two days before the movies open in cinemas.

We may be currently experiencing a very humid weather in Manila but there’s a big chance that some parts of the Philippines will have a rainy Christmas Day this year. According to Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), an approaching Low Pressure Area (LPA) will make some areas in the Visayas and Mindanao rainy on December 24 and 25. Specific areas include Surigao, Davao, Leyte and Samar.

Join Kuya Kim as he goes around preparing for a special Noche Buena made up of traditional Filipino food and Christmas trivia in “Matanglawin” this Sunday (Dec 23).   Discover the origins of gift-giving, sweet jamon, queso de bola, and the famous parol.  Get to know the stories behind some of the most famous Christmas animals such as sheep and reindeer.

The 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Parade Of Stars will happen on Sunday afternoon, December 23. The annual event will feature the stars of the participating movies and their floats which are always one of the things to watch out for every year. In line with the parade, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has released an advisory telling motorists to avoid the route of the parade, and the alternate routes that should be used to avoid being caught up in traffic.

Rooftop Prince will be the first Korean series offering of ABS-CBN for 2013. It stars Micky Yoochun, Choi Won Hong, Han Ji Min, Jun Min Seo,Lee Tae Sung, Jung Yoo Mi, Kim So Hyun, and Lee Min Ho. The Tagalog-dubbed version of Rooftop Prince , also known as Attic Prince , will premiere on January 7 in ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Gold (afternoon) block. It originally aired in Korea’s SBS from March to May 2012.

Toni Gonzaga makes a comeback in the top-rating show Wansapanataym via the “Karina Kariton” episode which airs tonight, December 22. The episode is part of the program’s Christmas Countdown which has been going on for a few weeks now.

Actor-host Luis Manzano is now part of ABS-CBN’s hit daytime kilig-serye “Be Careful With My Heart” topbilled by the sensational love team of Jodi Sta. Maria and Richard Yap. Luis portrays the role of James Ventura, the vice president for flight operations of Time Airways, the company where Maya (Jodi) works as an OJT (on-the-job trainee). “I was very ecstatic when I learned that I’ll join the show because I’m a fan of it to begin with,” said Luis who is so excited to work with Jodi again. “Jodi is really my first partner in showbiz so it’s a pleasure being able to work with her again.”

GMA Films has released a music video for Sosy Problems , one of the eight official entries to the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) showing on December 25. Directed by Andoy Ranay, the movie stars Rhian Ramos, Solenn Heussaff, Bianca King and Heart Evangelista, with Aljur Abrenica, Benjamin Alves, Mikael Daez. Cherie Gil, Agot Isidro, Nova Villa and Ruffa Gutierrez among others.

After Journey’s successful worldwide tour, frontman and Pinoy rock singer Arnel Pineda is all set to make the jingle bells rock this Sunday (December 23) as he visits Popstar Sarah Geronimo in ABS-CBN’s top-rating musical variety show “Sarah G. Live!” Aside from Arnel, also watch out for Sarah’s special duet with father Daddy Delfin; the Christmas treats from mother and daughter Kuh Ledesma and Isabella Gonzales; and the must-see surprise of Brazilian models Hideo Muraoka and Daniel Matsunaga, who will also be the Popstar’s guest co-host.

Broadcast journalist Anthony Taberna goes face to face with Daniel Magtira, an electrician who claims to be Kris Aquino’s husband this Sunday (Dec 23) in “Mano Mano ni Anthony Taberna.” Joining him in an interesting discussion about various national issues are two other so called “Nuisance candidates” who were disqualified by the COMELEC— accomplished journalist Melchor Chavez who was three spots away from winning a senatorial seat during the 1992 elections and engineer Aeric Bernardino who has an advocacy for restructuring the Philippine lottery so that more people can win the grand prize.

After her recent enchanting triumph in Las Vegas, Miss Universe 2012 first runner up Janine Tugonon continues to share inspiration to her fellow Filipinos as she shares her empowering life story this Saturday (December 22) in ABS-CBN’s trending showbiz talk show “Showbiz Inside Report.” Is being a beauty queen her childhood dream? What were the challenges that she had to go through before she made it to Miss Universe 2012?

ASAP 2012” is all set to spread love, smiles, and merriment this Sunday (December 23) as Kapamilya stars share their blessings with the various families in Compostela Valley, Panay, Bulacan, and Laguna. Aside from the special gifts of the ASAP Kapamilya, non-stop surprises will surely bring more joy to TV viewers this Sunday including the special visit of the lead stars of the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entries such as Vice Ganda, AiAi delas Alas, Kris Aquino, Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, and Xyriel Manabat of “Sisterakas;” Angel Locsin and Zanjoe Marudo of “One More Try;” and Julia Montes, Enrique Gil, and Enchong Dee of “The Strangers.” Love and happiness will also fill the small screens with the Christmas ‘kilig’ treats from primetime love teams Kathryn and Daniel, and Kim Chiu and Xian Lim.

After painting your afternoons with love as Lysa in the recently concluded Precious Hearts Romances presents Pintada , actress Denise Laurel heats up afternoon viewing once more as she returns to another PHR series, this time, as the feisty and sultry lawyer Cassandra Romano in PHR presents Paraiso . Behind the tough front she shows as an empowered and successful career woman, Cassandra remains to be a vulnerable young girl who is afraid to love after her father left her and her mother for another woman.