5th of 5
THE
PHILIPPINE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2011 H-1
STAR
Email: feedback@supreme.ph
Lifestyle Editor: Millet Martinez-Mananquil Contributing Editors: Daryl Chang Ping Medina J Vincent Sarabia Ong Gino de la Paz
SUPREME Editor & Creative Director:
Tim Yap
Editor at Large:
Pepe Diokno
Assistant to the Editor:
David Milan
BEST OF THE WEEK:
Sexy nerds, gay musketeers & hiphop egos Art Critic of the Week: The CBCP
Just last Wednesday, a group exhibit entitled “Kulo” was shut down at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. “Kulo” featured “Poleteismo” (meaning “many deities”), the exhibit of Mideo Cruz containing various objects of religious importance displayed alongside other objects unrelated to Christianity, including a phallic symbol attached to a crucifix. After receiving condemnation from the CBCP and several threats, along with a couple that vandalized the works of Cruz and attempted to set fire to them, the CCP decided to shut the exhibit down. Ironically, “Poleteismo” has been exhibited since 2002, including in the Loyola School of Theology in Ateneo de Manila University, proving once more that Jesuits are the most badass Catholics around. — Cai Subijano
Closet Case of the Week: Luke Evans
Superstars are not made, they’re born, but in the rare event that they are made, perhaps they might have been born gay. Such is the case with Luke Evans, 32, a Welsh actor who is set to conquer the movie industry as Aramis, one of The Three Musketeers. Pre-release reviews of the movie already herald Evans as Hollywood’s next big thing, but is Hollywood ready for an openly gay man playing macho leading roles? Back in 2002, Evans made mention of having a boyfriend during an interview with the publication The Advocate and now, his PR team is trying to back track on those statements, starting with a thorough editing of his Wikipedia entry. In case he ever comes out again in the future, just remember: you heard it from us first!
Fad of the Week: Geek chic
Perhaps this explains why the words “sexy” and “nerd” just recently trended on Twitter. This week, Tumblr founder David Karp and Josh Rubin of Coolhunting.com joined the bandwagon of social networking founding fathers modelling for products ranging from vodka to clothing. Uniqlo, a Japanese brand, will be opening a flagship store in New York and has chosen the Tumblr founder to endorse their brand in a video blog posted on its website. Earlier, Foursquare’s founding duo modeled for Gap while Twitter founder Biz Stone did an ad for Stoli vodka. However, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and the movie about him remain unbeatable, though he didn’t really endorse it.
By IRVIN CORTEZ
New National Animal of the Week: The Philippine Dragon
Enough with the Azkals and the Volcanoes — the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation won four gold medals last week and just a few days ago, won their fifth gold in the International Dragon Boat Federation’s tenth World Championships in Tampa Bay, Florida. This totaled their haul to five golds and two silvers and they even set a new world record as they paddled on. According to Robert McNamara of the United States Dragon Boat team, “They’re able to sustain a stroke rate that we don’t even attempt in the US.” Ahem. That joke’s just too easy to make, so we’ll pass, but we would like to point out that not only are the “Pinoy Dragon Warriors” winners, they also look good in their briefs. — Cai Subijano
Collab of the Week: Kanye and Jay-Z for “Watch the Throne”
Finally, the most awaited album of the year, after “Nora Aunor’s Greatest Hits 2011,” has arrived! Kanye West and Jay-Z’s collaboration, entitled “Watch the Throne,” was available on iTunes this week, successfully avoiding any major, major leak that would have spoiled the fun and excitement surrounding the album. The album art, for those people who actually still buy CDs, is pretty amazing, made from gold mylar and embossed with images designed by Gucci’s Ricardo Tisci. Okay, we’re going to say this before Kanye does: Yo, all collaborations by artists in the future! I’m really happy for ya’ll and imma let you guys finish, but Kanye and Jigga Man’s “Watch the Throne” is one of the best collaborations of all time! One of the best collaborations OF ALL TIME! Oo, na. Kayo na! KAYO NA!!
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Dear Paris, I t’s not every day that I get the opportunity to write about an international celebrity with the knowledge that there’s an actual possibility that it will be read by him or her. Celebrities, if anything, love to read their own press and there’s nothing I would have wanted more than to write
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2011
The Philippine Star
By CAI SUBIJANO
truly flattering things about you for you to read. However, I am a Filipino first, and a newspaper staff writer second, which means that I am obliged to brief you on a few things you should know on your first visit to the Philippines. We are a very welcoming and accommodating folk, but we do things a certain
way that might confuse you. Here are a couple of things that a guide book and Google won’t tell you: Over here, or in any Filipino household in the world, whether it is wealthy or impoverished, there’s nothing that comes more naturally to us than fussing over a guest. Nearly every Filipino home has a dedicated guest room that is regularly maintained should a guest ever arrive and if we don’t, we offer the best room, sometimes the only room, in the house. If this offer is made, you must take it. We take our hospitality so seriously that if it is refused, even out of politeness, we might assume that some aspect of our home wasn’t good enough for you and we will either feel terrible
or take offense. Spare our feelings and take the room. I sure hope that you aren’t on a diet and that you’ve brought your Spanx with you because no one is fed more than a Filipino guest. Upon entering your host family’s home you will be fed. There is no use in saying that you are full or that you have eaten, you will be fed to the maximum capacity of your Hervé Leger bandage dress. We’re quite proud of food, but we can also be very naughty about it. I’ll let you in on a secret: we love to feed our foreign guests local food, then watch them either enjoy or abhor it before telling them what’s in it. If you insist on knowing the ingredients, you might be obliged. If you aren’t, you should know that dinuguan is made of pig’s blood, sisig is made of fried bits of pork ears and other unwanted parts, adobo may appear oily, but it is one of the best things you will ever try, halo-halo is a dessert hodge podge of yummy things mixed with milk and ice, and even though your birthday was two weeks ago, you must eat pancit (noodles) for long life. As you go on your tour of our country, you will notice that everywhere you go, you will be stared at. To a certain extent, it will be because of your massive fame and highly publicized scandals, but it is also because you are a white American woman. See, we love Americans (they’re our favorite type of Caucasian) and we love to stare. Add the fact that you’re a gorgeous white American woman and you’ve got a whole lot of Filipino eyes boring into your very soul. You’ll get used it; you might even enjoy it and make a show business career out of it here. In that case, by all means! There is a reason why Manny loves to sing and why he endorses Magic Sing, a popular brand of karaoke machine here. Singing is one of the most prized and highly-paid talents in the Philippines and, apart from Manny, we are mighty proud of our singers. If a Filipino asks you if you listen to Charice, just please say yes and that you loved her on Glee. If we tell you that the vocalist of power ballad rock band Journey is Filipino, please pretend that the information is of particular interest to you. On Filipino men: you might be slightly vulnerable right now from your recent breakup with Cy Walts (yes, we know about that and we’re here for you) and that’s okay, but you may be susceptible to the charms of the male Filipino. It’s not that they’re the bad sort of men — at the end of the day, men are men, regardless of their nationality — but Filipino men are in the habit of trying to be friends with women they are in love with and they don’t know really know how to get past that. It is a frustrating exercise that, at 30 years old, will no doubt bring you back to your days in middle school when boys were less upfront about their feelings. That’s not hot. Finally, when you leave, you must be prepared for the possibility of seeing us again in Los Angeles because as you might have noticed (if you haven’t, you will), Filipinos love California. When that happens, we sure hope that you don’t forget who we are and that you treat us with the same generosity and hospitality we’ve shown you. You don’t have to board us in your own home, though because we won’t mind staying in a hotel. In fact, we insist on staying in a hotel, but if you insist that we stay with you, we’ll accept and take your master’s bedroom and a cameo in The World According to Paris while we’re at it. Love, Illustration by MENEER MARCELO Your new BFFs Commissioned by DAVID MILAN
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The Philippine Star
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2011
Throne worthy
T
he color block trend was the combination to be seen in, but the past summer burned a quick trend ascent that choked, flickered and plateaued towards the transition months. It might have blipped off the style radar, but that doesn’t mean that it’s time to relegate it to the back of the closets. On the contrary, instead of thinking about surprising shade offsets, your colored pieces can be broken down, taken as a single piece and paired again with another one of the same shade. In other words, singleblock is the new color block! Holiday goes royal with winking shades of jewel. Pick your stone, rich and luxurious in shades of garnet, amethyst, turquoise, emerald, jade and sapphire for brilliant and greedy attention. Colors are more saturated and lush, giving clothes a more vibrant eye-catching drama. Here’s a quick rundown on how to wear the new jewel toned look as shown by designers on their runway shows. Think of it as having a stone cut and faceted; it brings out the best shine.
RUBY at Akris
Go for a play on contradictions, such as matte against gloss, like this saturated skirt paired with a high shine leather jacket. Not only that, contrasts go up yet another level with soft versus structured.
AMETHYST at TURQUOISE at Alberta Ferretti Dolce & Gabbana If you want some detail on your onecolored canvas, pick prints that go on the same color vein. For instance, blur two colors beside each other on a spectrum, like the blue violet and purple combo at Alberta Ferretti.
If turquoise is not enough of a color statement for you, then go all out with winking glints, care of a full-on sequined dress. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.
SUGILITE at Emilio Pucci
This rare pink to purple mineral is given an even more exquisite and Renaissance-like finish with soft velvets and a high-court silhouette: think volume sleeves on a cinched dress trimmed with fine detailing.
EMERALD at Gucci SAPPHIRE at Break a solid color Roksanda Ilincic into different finishes so you have a mélange of interesting textures. Snakeskin, fur, and silk bring an expensive touch to this fabulous 40s ensemble.
Hoodies and hoodlums A
s Britain’s fe ral youth blighted boroughs north and south of the Thames, disfiguring London by setting fire to stuff and taking whatever they could from shops along the way, my attention inadvertently turned to how these thugs looked. They might have been “different people doing the same things in different cities at the same time,” as prime minister David Cameron put it, but these copycat criminals seemed to have one thing in common: most of them were wearing hoodies. In 2006, Mr. Cameron, as leader of the Conservative Party, caused some controversy in the UK with his Hug-a-Hoody policy. He proposed devoting resources on the emotional development of these troubled young people rather than on the symptoms of their alienation. Even then, the basic item was already at the center of the fray. LEITMOTIF OF THE UNDERCLASS Produced in cotton, fleece or nylon, the hoodie isn’t exclusively the leitmotif of today’s social underclass. Professor
Kickin’ it old school: Lindsay Lohan rocks a velour Juicy Couture hoodie as Cady Heron in Mean Girls.
Robert Bartlett of the University of St. Andrews, an expert on the Middle Ages, told The Telegraph in 2008 that “hooded tops were also the garment of choice for 12th-century juvenile delinquents.” The cowl worn in addition to the standard tunic apparently served to hide the identity of young miscreants. From medieval London, a version by sportswear company Champion then clothed laborers in New York in the 1930s before American designers such as Claire McCardell and Norma Kamali improved on its design in the ’50s and the ’80s, respectively. By the ’90s, the term
The Devil Wears North Face: In The Social Network, Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) shows that utter disregard for personal style is the new ultimate status symbol.
thanks to The Social Network, which deep down is a fashion film, hoodies started to symbolize a new sartorial standard for success in the Internet age, one that is defiantly style-free. Mixing refined silhouettes with an urban ethos, Alexander Wang’s designs epitomize the upmarket side of this downtown chic. London and other cities in England
Caught Justin time: Photoshoplooter, a relatively new Tumblr site, makes light of the UK riots by featuring hooded plunderers and their embarrassing spoils. Photos from Photoshoplooter
a hooded sweatshirt aside from the one issued by the school, which was annoying and comforting at the same time. Like Mark Zuckerberg, I too practically lived in hoodies as a university student. The weather in Canada often called for warm layers, so I did so by alternating mall staples from Abercrombie & Fitch Sweat shop: For his Fall 2011 T collection, Alexander and American Eagle Wang updates basics such as hoodies and sweaters in (how embarrassplush fabrics. Photo courtesy of T by Alexander Wang ing, I know) with “hoodie” hit the mainstream dressier ones (meaning black) by Club along with hiphop culture, Monaco, James Perse and APC. Unlike and its evolution — from the Facebook founder, however, I did innocuous leisurewear to not team them with Adidas slides. Exintimidating symbol of urban posing one’s toes to that kind of cold group identity — continues would’ve not been pleasant at all. to this day. SHIFTING ATTITUDES LIKE MARK ZUCKERBERG While hoodies have been associated In hindsight, the Gap with gangsters for decades in the US, hoodie I bought when I was looking like a leftover extra from 8 Mile 13 — the first I ever owned doesn’t carry the same stigma as it does — mimics the ones sported in Britain, where people feel threatened by the teens who set Hack- by the presence of hooded teenagers. ney ablaze in its banality. Remember the 2000s? Fashion flirted It was plain and gray, had briefly with the slouchy domestic garkangaroo pockets perfect for ment when Juicy Couture started selling storing CDs, and was equally $200 tracksuits in 2001 and Kid Robot baggy and boxy, as was the captured the new rave Zeitgeist with its rule during the boyband- all-over print editions in 2006. In 2009, saturated 1990s. Everyone in Details magazine decried the “indecisive” my grade appeared to have hoodie-under-a-blazer look. Recently,
There’s nothing like a silky high shine fabric to bring out the shadows and highlights of jewel colored pieces.
were shrouded for days in hoodies and bandannas and only now are the rioters, a post-millennial rendering of the opportunistic droogs in A Clockwork Orange, coming into focus. It’s ironic that the tool one could use to avoid identification – one that David Cameron described five years ago as “a way to stay invisible in the street” – is the very thing that is making angry men and women in their teens, 20s and 30s stand out against a Banksy-esque backdrop of chaos and racial tension. Staring at the stack of unworn hoodies in my closet, I was amazed to realize the power and meaning we routinely bestow on pieces of clothing: Plaid shirts are for loathsome hipsters; Burberry checks are for trashy chavs; hoodies are for hard-up hoodlums. Kenny from South Park wore an orange hoodie and he was poor, but is it really fair to apply a paintbrush approach to all those who do? I look forward to the day the hoodie finally shakes off its seamy status – in Britain at least – and goes back to what it was intended to be: something to protect you when you’re most exposed to the elements. *** ginobambino.tumblr.com
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2011
The Philippine Star
The hangover, Eurotrip edition Welcome
Yachts dock
Island! to Corsica
!
t in full blast
Summer hea
in Corsica
What’s up, doc?
Metronomy performing Our way or the runway!
Star DJ Nicolas Jaar
world Rico Blanco withtist Andre ar et re st s ou m fa st founder. Saraiva and FIB Fe Friendly Fires
Another shot of french electronica band Metronomy
Big Audio Dynamite front- At the mos man, ex-guitar- while The Shpit ist and singer are perform trokes ing of The Clash, Mick Jones
Throw pillows...literally at Calvi on The Rocks
Characters at FIB Fe st in Benicassim Bumpin’ and gr in di n’ at Diesel isla nd Arcade Elbow Fire performing
Calvi On The Rocks poster New meaning to mobile bus
’s At the worldb Privilege Backstage with DJ Tiesto u cl t es g big Photos taken using By STEPHEN KU Nikon camera
I
t’s always been in my bucket list to lose myself in the streets of Europe, be it in the mosh pit of an international music festival in Corsica or join the pilgrimage to the island Mecca of dance: Ibiza. Over a few bottles of Stella Artois at The Distillery, me and a good friend, musician cum photographer cum artista, Rico Blanco found out we both shared this master plan and wanted to take a month off to travel Europe and get re-inspired. Two beers later, it was decided and we were going to volt-in, pack our bags and invade Europe one country, one city, one party and one festival at a time. Hence, the tales of the Adventeuros Eurotrip 2011 was born! Planning everything on the fly and working on a budget, the final itinerary was finally pieced together: Paris, France --> Corsica, France --> Oslo, Norway --> Amsterdam, Netherlands --> Barcelona, Spain --> Benicassim, Spain --> Valencia, Spain --> Ibiza, Spain Booking planes, trains, and busses, little did we know that we were going to be in for the ride of our lives.
Singap for Euroore Airlines is the bes trips! t
Calvi on the Rocks is the annual music festival where you can dance to the top French DJs and the hottest bands across Europe in the picturesque beaches of Corsica, France, where you can party under the summer sun with bikinis all around. T h e 2 0 11 l i n e u p i n -
The scene at FIB Fest!
Ahoy, mate!
Ushuia pool party in Ibiza
age ary gar Legendhe Streets band T
Brandon Flowers after The Killers
VIP access in Pacha Dirty South on the decks
Calvi on the Rocks
Behind the decks at Calvi
The famous Ibiza sunset
cluded acts like Foals, Metronomy, Laurent Garnier Présente L.B.S, Disc o d e i n e , N i c o l a s J a a r, Michael Mayer, Hercules and love Affair, Bot’ox, Brodinski, Logo, Frivolous, Carte Blanche, Mlle Stéphanie, Oh a la!, Busy P, Hyphen Hyphen, Marco Dos Santos and Sety.
Swedish House Mafia playing
The FIB Fest
Benicassim Festival 2011 or Festival Internacional de Benicàssim (FIB 2011), as it is known in Spain, is a four-day music festival in Benicassim, which is located on the east coast of Spain between Valencia and Barcelona. It brings together a throng of 40,000 attendees from all over the world.
Superstar DJ/ producers Laurent Garnier & Busy P
Sunset cocktails at Malibu The streets of Ibiza
Party artwork: All Star DJ Ibiza Itinerary Monday: Privilege feat. Tiesto Tuesday: Space feat. Carl Cox Wednesday: Afternoon pool party at Ushuaia with Alesso, Dirty South & Swedish House Mafia Pacha with Kaskade &
Erick Murillo Thursday: Amnesia feat . Calvin Harris, Ferry Corsten & Paul Van Dyk Friday: It’s All Gone with Pete Tong at Pacha Saturday:UshuaiaAfternoon pool party with Defected in the House Amnesia with Marquee Sunday: We Love Space Sundays
The Red Hot Chili Peppers play live in HK and dedicate a song to Pinoys!
By BRYAN KONG
A
trip out of the country to watch a foreign act goes as expected. The plane ride was full of SaGuijo mainstays (SaGuijo is a bar where you can catch bands that are up-and-coming, alongside other established acts. It’s kind of like your local CBCG, a popular gig hub in the East Village, NY). We were all going to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert hoping to bring home an experience. Here’s mine: Traveling to watch concerts has always been a yearly affair with my closest friends who just so happen to be my band mates. It started with The Cure in Hong Kong back in ‘08, to Broken Social Scene at the Esplanade in ‘09, and continued with the Laneway Music Festival at Fort Canning early this year. This time around was different as I went with fellow drummers, like Mike Dizon of Pedicab/Sandwich, and once upon time, Teeth; Raymund Marasigan, formerly of the Eraserheads and now the guitarist/vocalist of Sandwich; and Shinji Tanaka of Gaijin, also known as the Shinji from Pedicab’s sophomore album, "Shinji, Ilabas Mo Na Ang Helicopter." To be honest, I am not the world’s biggest RHCP fan. Let me put it this way: the thought of watching Chad Smith, the RHCP’s drummer, perform live was the cake, the whole band was the icing, and seeing Flea’s crazy energetic onstage antics was the cherry on top (so I guess that makes it a Black Forest cake, but I digress). The first to step out onstage was Smith and as soon as he sat down and did his first drum roll (a habit among most, if not all drummers), Shinji Tanaka looked at me and blurted out “P-------AAAAAAAAAAA!!!” (This becomes funnier if you know Shinji
If you want to get a souvenir, hang out by the sound booth which is usually situated in the middle of any venue. Myrene Academia of Imago Concert tip: The sound is most balanced in any concert or gig in the area by the sound and Sandwich along with Mike Dizon asked the tech guys for copies booth, so if you want the best sound, stand in front of it. You can also get clues as to how of the set list. Also pictured: Raymund Marasigan and Shinji Tanaka. many more songs are lined up for the encore from the sound and lights guy. (Pictured testament to how much our country loves music. above: Flea and Anthony Keidis.) Photo from stadium-arcadium.com RHCP went on to play hit after hit along with a few new
I spoke to Rico Blanco after the show and we both agreed that Chad Smith was definitely the star.
who is a full-blooded Japanese man, born and bred in Tokyo. He learned to speak and cuss in suprisingly fluent Japanese-accented Tagalog since he decided to move here in ’89.) As Josh Klinghoffer, Red Hot’s replacement for John Frusciante strummed the opening chords F-F/E-Am to 'By The Way,' you could hear the crowd go wild in eager anticipation for the octane filled pre-chorus. As soon as
the chorus hit, the whole arena sang along to the words “Standing in line to see the show tonight and there’s a light on… heavy glow.” You can’t get more appropriate than that. Anthony Keidis went on to dedicate their third song, 'Can’t Stop' to all the Filipinos and more than half of the whole arena cheered. That was just a
songs including their new single, 'The Adventures Rain Dance Maggie.' Before they did the obligatory pre-encore intermission, the band played 'Under The Bridge,' which brought back a lot of memories from my high school days. As the crowd cheered for more, Smith came out and worked down a funky drum solo with a fellow percussionist. As the solo was about to end, Flea went out and rendered a dance solo replete with a hand stand walk across the stage. That’s crazy for someone who’s 47 years of age, and his antics garnered the applause not only from the audience, but from Smith himself. The band ended with 'Give It Away,' which left the audience stunned and wanting for more. In comparison to other shows I have seen, I won’t count this concert as the best, but seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the flesh is really one for the books. *** Bryan Kong is the drummer of Taken by Cars. He was also nominated for Drummer of the Year in the NURock Awards in 2008. Taken by Cars has played numerous shows out of the country and received an award in Malaysia for Junk Sound’s Regional Music Awards for Album of the Year and was named as one of the Asian bands to watch out for this year by Time magazine.
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The Philippine Star
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2011
Keeper of the goal Neil Etheridge of the Azkals on the London riots, keeping fit and his new role as sex symbol. Is he our local version of David Beckham?
“I can be modest as much as I am confident” — Neil Etheridge on being sexy
By TIM YAP
W
hat the people have seen over the past few days has been a terrible sight. For those involved and those watching, the country is already in a deep recession which we are trying hard to get out of and this looting and violence against our own people has not helped the cause or helped anyone for that matter. Shop owners, property owners and individuals have been attacked for reasons unknown to anyone. With the Olympics coming up next year we should be uniting as a country not destroying our own.’ Those words were uttered not by a commentator on the BBC or on any news channel for that matter. They came from the mouth of famed Azkals goal keeper Neil Etheridge -- someone we can call our very own. Neil Etheridge lives 20 minutes away from where the London riots happened earlier this week. “The people involved are selfish and have destroyed many major cities all over the country,” says Neil over the phone, disappointment quite apparent in his low voice. Neil has attracted quite a lot of attention recently for keeping the flames alive for fans of football in the Philippines. This country needs new sports heroes. Neil Etheridge is one of the new flag bearers for this generation’s goal setters. Not so slowly, the cityscape’s billboards are being lined with athletes telling us what to wear, eat and drink. Some mayors may squirm upon seeing men stripped down
“The people I worked with are great people. They made me feel welcome into the F&H family and I (felt) very comfortable. It was a pleasure working with them all.” I’m sure it was their pleasure as well.
“I was a little shy because I didn’t really want to take my top of in front of a camera straight away. I am quite body concious, if you can believe that.”
to their bare essentials, but hey, that’s their issue. Athletes, whether in their underwear or not, have replaced celebrities in selling fitness because for these titans, fitness is a 24hour job. They wake up to train. And even if they know how to party, at the end of the day, they still have to get up and train. Playing ball is no easy feat. Eyes on the prize While we’re on the topic, I ask Neil about his photos, which circulated all over Twitter. Yes, his Folded and Hung (no pun intended) campaign where Neil keeps his eye on the goal, his intense gaze, arms raised and ready for action. How did he prepare for the F&H shoot? I mean, it’s not everyday that you get photographed in your underwear. “I have a really great fitness trainer and he has helped me get into shape. Believe it or not my body never looked like that, and I am always looking to improve it. Steve Hines at Fulham Football Club has been a great help with my nutrition and work out. If you’re interested, he leaves tips and information at @peakxvfitness (on Twitter).” I will definitely follow this guy to see if my body will become like Neil Etheridge’s. “In fact, I was a little shy because I didn’t really want to take my top of in front of a camera straight away. I am quite body concious, if you can believe that. I think (if) you ask most guys, they are.” Who would have known, right? “He is extremely focused and gives his 110% when it comes to football. He’s really serious about fitness and sometimes goes
to the gym twice in one day,” shares Neil’s and the Azkal’s constant companion, Joanne Samson, his agent at W Talent Management. No to riots, no EDSA billboard For this particular shoot for F&H, Neil shares, “At that shoot I was just myself. No special work out before. (I) just turned up to have fun in front of a camera.” And then it got leaked on Facebook and on Twitter. “I didn’t know at first it was being released and I thought it might have been leaked by accident because I saw it (first) on Twitter. Of course, I was very happy and proud of what I did and how it came out,” Neil speaks in a gentle giant tone, unaffected by fame and just really focused on whatever he does. “My agent from W Talent Agency was the one (who) encouraged me to do the F&H campaign.” That one photo has gone viral and is now posted all over the Internet, making Neil Etheridge a de facto sex symbol overnight. How does he feel about the “sex symbol” tag? Does it make him feel uncomfortable, like some of our politicians? “Myself as a sex symbol? No, not really. I see myself as a normal person (who) always has time for others. I was lucky enough to be given a talent and I have (worked) hard (on) improving (it) to get to where I am today.” Ladies, don’t cause a riot over this one. This one won’t be on EDSA anytime, so feel free to share. *** (More tidbits of information and inspiration at twitter.com/iamtimyap)
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e’re quick to sniff out and pounce on the latest everything, but it’s the past that we’re in love with. It’s the past we can’t say goodbye to. Like Ross and Rachel, it’s a love affair that just can’t seem to end, no matter how hard we try. It’s no wonder why the Twitter hashtag, #sentisabados was so popular, or why for about a week Penelope Pitstop, Dexter and the Powerpuff Girls made repeat appearances in people’s Facebook profile photos, or why tickets to the Spice Girls reunion sold out in a matter of seconds. This tendency for nostalgia is something that producers, directors, even rising stars have caught on to. Now, they’re riding the wave of tears that we shed for the childhood icons that we still love and so dearly miss. Nicki Minaj channels Jem (of the Holograms) on Good Morning, America! Beavis and Butthead are brought back to life and given a modern-day spin. Cult classic Planet of the Apes hits big at the box office. Blink 182 came out of hiding (and in our opinion, they should’ve stayed that way ever since Tom DeLonge decided that he was too mature for his The Mark, Tom and Travis Show antics and came out with Angels and Airwaves). TEEN SUPREMACY Interestingly enough, at the most recent Teen’s Choice Awards, it wasn’t the ’90s throwbacks or retro revivals that took home all the surfboards, with the exception of There’s Something About Mary relic, Cameron Diaz (sorry, Cammie), who won Choice Movie Actress for her role in Bad Teacher and The Tourist actors Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. Apart from her, all the big winners were icons that belong exclusively to the here and now. Taylor Swift, for example, who took home awards for Ultimate Choice, Choice Break-up Song, and Choice Female Red Carpet Fashion Icon among others, has created a fresh brand of music that blurs the lines between country and bubblegum pop in a way that hasn’t yet been done before. Her albums have been certified multi-platinum, and her songs have won multiple Grammys. Also, unlike most teen singer/songwriters, Taylor actually provides sound advice for her peers, putting to shame inane choruses like “Hi-See Ya! Hold Tight!” and the hackneyed, yet entirely memorable lyrics of BSB. Another example would be Justin Bieber,
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2011
The Philippine Star
The teen choz awards? Teen Titan: Taylor Swift sweeps the TCAs
Harry Potter Hotties Tom Felton and Rupert Grint take two for the team
A wistful, bleary-eyed backward glance — that would probably be the single best image to describe the twentysomething and above’s relationship with the past.
who went home with the title of choice Male Hottie (a questionable choice, but that’s a whole ‘nother article), and who created a new niche for himself as a one-man boy band. His lady love Selena Gomez, who broke the mold of misbehaving Disney diva and showed the world how cool wholesome can be, also took home awards for Choice TV Comedy Actress (for her role as Alex in Wizards of Waverly Place) and Choice Female Hottie, to name a few. Harry Potter, arguably the biggest epic of our time, brought fantasy fiction out of its murky, nerd-exclusive obscurity and made an entire generation believe in, and fall in love with magic. The books somehow managed to make a TV-and-video game generation put down the remote controls and Game Boys for a second and read an actual piece of literature. The films introduced us to an incredible group of actors that feel
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more like childhood friends, no matter how glamorous they got. The stories even gave birth to a new drink, Butterbeer, and the most amazing sport in the world, Quidditch. If you think about it, we should congratulate our little brothers and sisters, the salingkitkits we once rejected from our little bubble on the grounds that they were born a little bit later and therefore did not have claim to our beloved TV shows and songs. We should be proud of them because they clearly are not plagued by the same predisposition to nostalgia that
press after his death: I have ... a daughter who reminds me too much of what I used to be, full of Baby, Baby, Oh! The Biebs love and joy, kissing every accepts one of many awards person she meets because we clearly suffer from. everyone is good and will do her no harm. And THE YOUTH IN REVOLT that terrifies me to the point where I can barely Going back to this theme of function. I can’t stand the thought of Frances nostalgia, grunge rock heiress becoming the miserable, self-destructive death Frances Bean Cobain, 18 years rocker that I’ve become. old, stands on the precipice Like the rest of today’s teens, Frances of greatness. Recently photo- will no doubt discover the masterpieces of graphed by noir photographer her father and his generation, take inspiand fashion designer Hedi Sli- ration from it, and hopefully, create even mane, the hauntingly beautiful better and more memorable touchstones in Frances is the genetic byprod- culture. However, Frances is also still a teen uct of Kurt Cobain and Court- and we’ll just have to wait and be patient to ney Love — everything that see what she, and the rest of today’s teens, was astig, and not astig, about are really capable of. We sincerely hope for the 90s. As she starts to make their sake that apart from our triumphs, her way in the world, it brings they also take note of our mistakes and for to mind Kurt’s suicide note the love of all that is good, leave Twilight that Courtney read aloud to the and Jersey Shore behind.