LENS Blogs Visits The Set Of PURE LOVE

I got to visit the set of ABS-CBN's production of Pure Love. I got to see Arjo Atayde Joseph Marco, Matt Evans and Alex Gonzaga.

Pure Love's Matt Evans, Alex Gonzaga and Joseph Marco

Pure Love is based on a Korean TV drama of the same name. Korean series are very popular in Pinoy audience that the network gave its own version. According to Alex Gonzaga, the local fans of the original were not disappointed with the Pinoy version and they were thrilled about it.

Not much has changed from the original material and the changes are just minimal in perspective of the Philippine audience.

Matt Evans himself is a fan of the original Korean version that he had a marathon of the entire series in preparation of his character.

For more set visits, follow this blog or like  the L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

Angel Locsin on Mastering the Craft, Nurturing the Gift, and Loving the Job

Release material

Angel Locsin is one of country’s leading performers on the Philippine silver screen. She was named Best Actress in the 29^th PMPC Awards for Movies in 2013, and has been considered as one of the most awarded dramatic actresses today. From a television and film actress, she has diversified into various media in the entertainment business: as a commercial model, film producer, fashion designer and product endorser. 

Angel was recently unveiled as one of the talented gurus who will be molding the next generation of child performers in this season’s Promil Pre-School i-Shine Talent Camp. She will be joining the star-studded panel of esteemed mentors backstage: choreographer and G-Force director, Georcelle Dapat-Sy and divine diva Zsa Zsa Padilla. As mentor, Angel will be steering i-Shine participants through the acting workshops.

For 25 years, Promil Pre-School has been well known for talent development, raising awareness for parental participation, proper guidance and good nutrition as factors that play major roles in bringing preschoolers to their full potential. The Promil Pre-School i-Shine Talent Camp is one of Promil Pre-school’s advocacies, in which the talents of Filipino children nationwide are engaged. Angel is excited to see how this year’s mentees will fare under her tutelage.

 

Continuously mastering your craft

One of her most remembered roles is her rendering of the iconic superheroine Darna in the TV adaptation of Mars Ravelo’s classic character. But despite her fame, Angel knows that she didn’t just wake up one morning to success; she had to learn the ropes and work on her craft assiduously – a painstaking process that she knows all budding talents must go through, like the tiny tots of the Promil Pre-School i-Shine Talent Camp who will be entrusted into her care.

“Paulit-ulit kong sinasabi na iba yung honor na binibigay sa akin nito bilang isang artista... Yung ma-appreciate ka sa talent mo at yung oportunidad para ma-experience at ma-ishare mo sa mga bata yung mga natutunan mo – yung mga tinuro rin sa akin nung mga naging mentors ko when I was young (I always say that this is a great honor for me as an artist… That of being appreciated for your talent and the opportunity to experience and share to the kids what I’ve learned – those things that I’ve learned from my own mentors when I was young),” she says. “Bawat talent, bawat show, bawat acting piece na ginagawa mo, meron at meron kang nadedevelop na kailangan mo pang i-enhance… Continuous process kasi yung acting (Each talent, each show, each acting piece that a person does, you get to develop something that you would still have to enhance… Acting is a continuous process),” she adds.

 

The importance of proper nurturing and guidance

While she feels that talent plays a big role in how a child stands out, it’s really the combined effort and diligence taken by the child, parents and teachers that make a difference. “I think there are many talented individuals; but it’s really the masisipag (hardworking) that beat them in the end. So, kailangan talaga ng perserverance (You really need perseverance),” she points out.

Angel also understands how crucial mentoring is in the life of a child. “Natatandaan ko pa yung nursery teacher ko nung bata ako – Hindi ko makakalimutan yung pangalan niya. (I remember my nursery teacher when I was young – I will never forget her name.) That’s how much of an impact she had on me. Nakaka-flatter na baka ganun din yung mangyari sa mga bata. (It’s flattering to think that that could also happen to these kids.) Actually, challenge ito para sa akin na mabigay ko talaga yung dapat matutunan nung mga bata sa maikling panahon (It is actually a challenge for me to give my best so the kids will get the learning they need in such a short amount of time)." 

And she doesn’t discount the importance of family support, which she cites as an important factor in her own development as an artist. “I am very blessed na sila yung naging magulang ko sa lahat ng pinagdaanan ko. Hindi kami galing sa showbiz family. Napakasimple lang ng pamilya ko, pero nag-adjust talaga sila ng lifestyle for me para magawa ko ‘tong gusto ko. Napakaswerte ko sa pamilya ko (I am very blessed to have the kind of parents that I have. We are not a showbiz family. My family is simple, but they adjusted their lifestyle for me so that I could reach this far. I’m really lucky to have them).”

And this is why she likewise hopes that the i-Shine finalists will receive the same kind of support from their own. “Sana itong mga bagets natin dito sa i-Shine, sana ganun din yung mga magulang nila na nakasuporta dun sa gusto nung mga anak nila. Hindi dahil sa gusto nila, pero dahil ito yung pangarap nung mga anak nila. Sana i-encourage nila yung mga bata kung papaano mahalin lalo ‘tong craft na ‘to, at i-enjoy pa ‘to kasi mga bata rin naman sila, diba? Ayokong iparamdam sa kanila na ‘this is work’ diba? (I hope the parents support their kids’ interest because this is what their child dreams of doing, not because this is what the parent wants. They should encourage love for this craft and for this kind of work and teach the child how to enjoy it. The kids shouldn’t go through the experience thinking that ‘this is work’ because they are children after all, aren’t they?)” she shares.

 

Achieving success in performing arts through encouragement

Angel has played many popular roles in the past, but her role as the acting mentor for Promil Pre-School i-Shine Talent Camp 3 is a first for her career. “Gusto kong bigyan ng opportunity yung mga bata to shine. Sana mahalin nila yung craft, yung industry, at hindi nila isipin na trabaho lang siya (I just want these kids to be given the opportunity to shine.  I want them to learn how to love the craft, the industry, and not treat it as just a job),” she shares. “Challenge talaga siya na maturo ko sa mga bata yung kailangan nilang matutunan sa maikling panahon, pero the least I can give them is yung suporta at encouragement na kailangan nila para maabot nila yung full potential nila (It will definitely be a challenge to be able to teach these kids all that I know in such a limited time, but the least I can give them is the support and encouragement that they need to reach their full potential),” she adds.

This season’s i-Shine Talent Camp 3 is hosted by Dimples Romana, Matteo Guidicelli, and Xian Lim. The Promil Pre-School i-Shine Talent Camp is also giving away over Php 1 million worth of prizes and a contract from ABS-CBN and Promil Pre-School to the grand winner. The previous year’s Promil Pre-School Grand i-Shiner, Yesha Camille, has received quite a number of television appearances after winning the feat, and is now involved in an upcoming series with her i-Shine mentor Piolo Pascual.  

Rurouni Kenshin Public Press Conference In Manila

Takeru Satoh, who plays Kenshin Himura and Munetaka Aoki as Sanosuke Sagara in the live action adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin reprises their roles in a sequel secondary titled Kyoto Inferno. The two will appear in Glorietta Activity Center along with director Keishi Otomo.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Japan

As we await its opening on August 20, we will be hearing them answer questions from the press in the public presscon 6PM August 7. Since their culture diverse from us, there is some rules you need to know. While they are talking, we are not allowed to use flash in taking pictures. It is considered rude while they are talking as if you are not paying attention to them. This is also common courtesy.

Just to be sure, wait for the emcee's cue every time. If you have good questions to ask, kindly reply at this post or via my Facebook page and I will select the best question possible for the q & a. Let's make this once in a lifetime event part of history by having a clean and smooth For more updates, follow this blog or like my Facebook page.

David Blaine In Manila

MANILA, Philippines - Is he for real? Or is he a con job? Filipinos can decide for themselves when the world’s most intriguing magician hits Manila for a one-night-only live show. Magician David Blaine, who has been wowing and spooking audiences worldwide with his trailblazing brand of magic for almost two decades, is set to cast a spell on Philippine audiences in a 90-minute live show on Sept. 12 at the Araneta Coliseum, according to promoter Renen de Guia of Ovation Productions.

This is not an entirely new venture into the world of magic by Ovation Productions, having promoted another popular magician also by the name of David in Manila in 1989 — David Copperfield.

Dubbed Real or Magic, Blaine’s first-ever show in the Philippines will feature a slew of tricks that have blown the minds of anyone who has ever seen videos of his “street magic” performances. The 41-year-old magician’s Manila stopover is part of his first Asian tour.

The show’s title references Blaine’s TV special last year in which he performed inexplicable tricks to the stupefaction of celebrities such as Will Smith, Kanye West, Ricky Gervais, Katy Perry and Harrison Ford.

Born in New York to Puerto Rican-Italian and Russian parents, Blaine became an overnight success at 24 when he debuted his Street Magic in 1997. The show, in which he performed minimal yet enigmatic tricks for impromptu audiences on the street, was a success.

Eschewing the glitzy Vegas-style showmanship of magicians like Copperfield, Blaine’s less-is-more approach, lazy Brooklyn drawl and ultra-cool manner — not to mention his dark, brooding looks — won him a great league of fans across the world who just can’t seem to believe what they see.

Later, Blaine expanded his magical repertoire by featuring himself in a series of spectacularly staged death-defying endurance performances, some of which were inspired by his idol Harry Houdini. The endurance performances have seen Blaine: Sealed in a coffin-like box at the bottom of a three-ton tank of water for a week, encased in ice for 63 hours, standing unsecured on top of a 30-meter high narrow pillar for 53 hours and dangled in a plastic cube above the Thames for 44 days with only water to sustain him. He even managed to break a Guinness World Record in 2008 live on The Oprah Winfrey Show when he held his breath underwater for 17 minutes and 44 seconds — the record has since been broken. Meanwhile, the last spectacle saw him being zapped by a million volts of electricity produced by eight Tesla coil towers for 72 hours.

While the magician who’s been called our generation’s greatest probably won’t replicate such endurance tests for his live show, audiences can be assured that they’ll be feted to other head-scratching Blaine specialties — from card tricks to pushing needles through his arm to twisting off a chicken’s head and putting it back on. But is it magic? Is it real? You decide.

David Blaine: Real or Magic Live in Manila on Sept. 12 at the Araneta Coliseum is presented by Ovation Productions in cooperation with AXN, The Philippine STAR, Manila Bulletin,BusinessWorld, ABS-CBN, MYX, Philstar.com, Inquirer.net, WhenInManila.com, Rappler.com, Manila Concert Scene, Philippine Concerts, SoundCheckManila, PEP.ph, 105.1 Crossover, 96.3 EasyRock, Retro 105.9, Monster Radio RX 93.1, and Mellow 947. Tickets prices are P6,500, P5,500, P4,500, P3,500, P2,000 and P1,000. They are available at Ticketnet outlets or online via www.ticketnet.com.ph or call 911-5555.)

DMAX ENTERTAINS YOUNG MEN WITH SPEED, ADVENTURE AND ADRENALINE-FILLED PROGRAMS

A brand new brotherhood was forged as Discovery Turbo made its transformation to DMAX! Designed for the infotainment junkie’s insatiable appetite for smarts, wit and adrenaline, DMAX offers factual entertainment for men who live life to the absolute fullest. Targeted at young men aged between 18 and 45, the channel showcases a wide range of content from fast cars and combat to extreme antics and enterprise.

 

Fast N' Loud. Photo courtesy of DMAX

DMAX replaced Discovery Turbo which has been on air in the Asia-Pacific region since 2008. Key genres fuelling its content line up include turbo and motoring, transactional reality, the great outdoors, culture, male lifestyle and technology.

Joining the likes of the familiar faces of its signature turbo-charged program titles such as Aaron Kaufmann and Richard Rawlings of FAST N’ LOUD, Mike Brewer and Edd China of WHEELER DEALERS and Ryan Friedlinghaus and his crew of INSIDE WEST COAST CUSTOMS, are money-making geniuses Doug Hopkins and gang of PROPERTY WARS and former pro-wrestler turned modern-day relic hunter Ric Savage of AMERICAN DIGGER. Viewers will also get a chance to peek into life in the “underground” with programs like AMERICAN MUSCLE, THE DEVIL’S RIDE and THE FIGHTERS. The great outdoors genre will feature programs that lead audiences into the thick of wild action in the Appalachia featured in BACKYARD OIL and the rolling hills of Indiana in PORTER RIDGE. “Bros” of DMAX can also kick back with factual entertainment titles like BOUNTY WARS, AMERICA’S WORST TATTOOS and OUTRAGEOUS 911.

DMAX also launched with a focus on a different genre every night from Monday to Thursday:

·         Making Money Mondays feature transactional reality titles.

·         Ultimate Turbo Tuesdays are helmed by motoring programmes.

·         Lifestyle & Culture Wednesdays provide an inside look at extreme behaviours, beliefs and attitudes.

·         Get Outside Thursdays take the great outdoors into living rooms.

No matter what passions or interests men may have, DMAX will unite all who crave adrenaline-filled adventure, are ready to release their inhibitions and have a no-nonsense attitude of living life their way. So, thrill-seekers, motor junkies, gym heads and grill-masters alike, DMAX welcomes you to the brotherhood.

For more information, check out www.dmaxasia.com or www.facebook.com/DMAXSoutheastAsia.

La Revolucion Filipina by Ballet Phils.

This is the first ballet gala I attended. I am not into ballet except if there is a ballet interpretation of the songs I like. But I got interested with this production because it is base on Apolinario Mabini's book.

I was oriented by my sister who has a background in ballet. She is well versed in the ballet world and is no stranger to big names like Agnes Locsin, who choreographed this production. I was able to grasp the ballet acts see Apo's mind in this production.

I also find it interesting in collaborating theatrics because one role is done by an actor. It is probably the first time I witnessed speaking lines in ballet. It just so happens that I watched it during Mabini's 150th birth date.

I look forward to more of BP's future productions. Follow this blog for more updates and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.