Upcoming MMFF 2025 Entry "I'M PERFECT" Set To Bring Strong Message of Love and Inclusion

When news came out of this movie being accepted as an entry for the Metro Manila Film Festival, I was excited about it. The concept is quite interesting, more so, it has not been done in Philippine cinema yet. Casting differently abled actors for the lead role, But what made this special, is the calling of proving what THEY CAN DO, rather than WHAT THEY CAN'T DO.

This film called "I'm Perfect" is something special. It's about unconditional love, the support actors describe this as reality, a spectrum of emotions, and when they were in the set, instead of them teaching the lead actors, they learned more instead. They taught them the currency of love and hugs, and watch them enjoy the process as actors for MMFF. They were overwhelmed!

Direk Ingrid says "I need to make a story, a film about 11 years ago. We won in FDCP and this was teased. This was to show that they can. I'm very lucky that this was noticed by Ms. Sylvia and Nathan Studios and made it happen. Kita Kita was 2017, but this was 2009. They forged my characters, they choose what to show and we only had to trust them. I know it is a risk for producers but I was given the right ones with passion. I didn't want to use them, because this is a passion project and we didn't want them to be used, but loved and be independent. I felt hope because it doesn't end there."

Ms. Sylvia says "I saw two of her scripts and didn't like it but this third one was an afterthought. She didn't believe I would do this, because it was 10 years ago, they wanted it but didn't trust that this will be made, but I knew that the kids with down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy can. I want to thank Janice, LT, Tonton, Zaijan, because at the beginning they knew they would support them, and they did. When I found the cast in Direk's laptop, I knew I had to do it. We met with the officials because we want their guidance and do it right. These kids will make history, so please make sure to watch it!"

Seeing them all talk on stage already made us all cry. I saw what they saw in them, and I think that's exactly what you'll see in theaters this Christmas. I overheard Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines Chairman Elmer Lapeña while he was talking to a blogger friend where he says "They have one special ability, and that is to LOVE without inhibitions, magmahal ng wagas!"

Lead stars Earl Jonathan Amanda and Anne Krystel Daphne Go will make you feel love like you've never seen or felt before. They will be together with Ms. Sylvia Sanchez, Janice De Belen, Ms. Lorna Tolentino, Tonton Gutierrez, Joey Marquez and Zaijian Jaranilla. 

Here's what happened at the Mediacon!

During the talk, it made me wonder that we might be wasting time treating them differently... but they probably need to be treated plain and the same. It's an eye opener, looking at family dynamics on how to love, and how to do it purely, without judgement, hesitation, or anger. That's what they want you to feel in this film, and if you're up to it, you can support them on the 25th!

Fear Something New With This Judy Ann Santos, Lorna Tolentino and Chanda Romero Starrer ESPANTAHO

When we heard Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo was participating in this year's Metro Manila Film Festival, we were really excited about particular film she's doing; they call it "ESPANTAHO". The term actually means a "scarecrow", a thing that's pretty common in farmlands, especially in agricultural countries like ours.

It's been a while since she's done something like this, but it was promised to her by Director Chito Roño who called her for the project. Judy Ann says "It's been a while since I've worked with Direk Chito Roño. Before I was a young lady, but now I already have a daughter. I'm happy because when he called me for a horror film, I didn't say anything, just "let's do it!". This is a dream, I wanted to experience it, he's calmer now, but still has a mic when he does sarcastic lines. I'm not the one he's getting mad at these days, but when you do it with him, it is fulfilling!"

This film was prepped for a year before they got to make the script. When the writer Christ Martinez presented it, he got "good" feedback from Direk Chito, and things started rolling from that. Atty Joji remarks how this has been a collaborative experience for them, and since Direk Chito is a master Director, they wanted to make a great film with them during their 20th Anniversary. The only issues they encountered were mostly because of the weather, but they adjusted with the season to fit the story. 

JC Santos likened Direk Chito to his former theater mentors, because once he asks for one more shot, it means you would need to do better on the scene. If he says "next scene", that means you're good. Most of them nodded in agreement, and Direk Chito felt he was getting roasted during the press conference (they had a laugh about it). 

Here's the press conference on video, of course! I got you!

They let us in on a secret, that painting on the left side of the stage will play a significant part in the film so if you see this in any theaters they'll be showing ESPANTAHO, go take a photo with it!

Ms. Lorna Tolentino took time to talk about love, family and a few more things about the movie after the press conference, listen in to the conversation:

In a nutshell, you would need to watch this film because of the caliber of actors that are in it. Not to mention how big of a horror director Chito Roño is, and how he's come to embrace new technology, special effects, and face a new crowd of movie goers eager to see something new, as you introduce a brand new entity to fear because they don't know what lurks behind that painting that you base the story on.

Hope this forms a cult following, perhaps a sequel too! The film will show on December 25 together with other MMFF 2024 entries, but consider watching this first especially if you're a Judy Ann Santos Agoncillo fan. This is produced by Cineko Productions, Purple Bunny Productions and Quantum Films. They promise that this will be the scariest film you're about to see on MMFF 2024.

35 Strong Years of Celebrating EVERY WOMAN: Philippine WACOAL Corporation

35 strong years of celebrating EVERY WOMAN, this is the journey of Philippine Wacoal Corporation.

Having been able to support and dress the Filipina intimately in the Philippines, this retail brand showcased their latest products through a fashion show in Okada's Grand Ballroom last June 20. Their executives including Philippine Wacoal Corporation President Ms. Ann Christine Palisoc, award winning celebrities Janice de Belen, Gelli de Belen, comedienne Candy Pangilinan, actress Natalie hart, Trina Candaza, Arlene Muhlach, legendary Eva Darren and several Sparkle stars during that evening. 

They also had Ms. Karen Davila as guest speaker, and recognized 4 icons Ms. Lorna Tolentino, Ms. Glenda Garcia , the gorgeous Ms. Glenda Dela Cruz and the heavenly Jamie Rivera. Power belter Ms. Sheryn Regis and a few acts also graced the show and performed for the audience including the fashion show depicting empowered women in 4 acts.

Here's the whole show on video, please enjoy!

They called it HER (for Ms. Glenda), HEALING (for Ms. Glenda Garcia), ARMOR (for Ms. Lorna Tolentino), and TRANSFORMATION (for Ms. Jamie Rivera). They named it after their personal experiences, the battles they've fought, and the things it represents.

They also made sure we felt how WACOAL has encompassed the matters of race, body type and the importance of how women should always exude confidence. This show didn't just celebrate their anniversary, but WOMEN. WACOAL also isn't stopping there, because they now have a huge sale in their stores, boutiques, and online via their website wacoal.ph.

Here's hoping for another year, more milestones and even more empowered women in the country!

PS. The fashion show and program was also organized by V-Works Events Management. They handled it quite well and did put up a great show. Congratulations on that!

Beautéderm Opens Corporate Headquarters and Beauté Beanery in Pampanga

It must have been her great dream to to one day, cement her brand and put her business in one roof hence the new Beautéderm Corporate Headquarters in Angeles City, Pampanga. Ms. Rei Ramos Anicoche Tan and the Beautéderm team finally opened the new building (which houses several of her brands) and the newly launched Beauté Beanery (a coffee shop) in this location. It's also Beautéderm Corporation's 14th year in the business and this was the opportune time for us to see what they've done with the place. It was absolutely gorgeous from outside!

This is welcome news for the multitude of their loyal customers who have always patronized their skin, body, fragance and health booster products known for its efficacy and quality. This isn't just a business for CEO and founder Rhea Tan because it provides resellers, their distributors and franchisees something that could change their lives. The new building has been 2 years in the making and it was meant to be the main base of operations in the country.

The place was absolutely posh. They had marble and nice tiles, gold fixtures from floor to ceiling. They also had several designer trunks here and there which made it look even better. They also had the BeautéHaus which provides skin services and we were greeted by several of their people, it felt quite welcoming. Since it's also the first time we're seeing this building, they invited several artists to make the event sparkle!

Artists include singer Alynna Velasquez, character actress Ynez Veneracion, internationally awarded actress Ms. Sylvia Sanchez, the gorgeous Jane Oineza, the iconic Ms. Lorna Tolentino, international sensation Darren Espanto, premier broadcaster Korina Sanchez Roxas and the beautiful Bea Alonzo.  There were also several social media influencers in attendance and a lot of media entities from Pampanga, broadsheets, tabloids and bloggers.

Beautederm Execs, Celebrities, Ms. Rei's Mom during the launch

Darren even gave a small song number after being egged by the press

Ms. Rei and Bea Alonzo

The new Beauté Beanery on the other hand concocted several hot and cold coffee variations, also prepared hot food, cakes and pastries. It'll surely be a nice spot for remote work, dates or just usual coffee breaks if you're in the area.

Ms. Sylvia Sanchez also obliged us with an interview about how she feels about being an endorser of Beautéderm and her whole journey. We also asked he a bit about Ria Atayde's recent milestones as the newest calendar girl.

Ms. Rei was very optimistic that this will just be the first of 10 buildings she wants to put up all over the country. I've seen them grow over the years and I'm so happy that a Filipino corporation has achieved so much in such a short amount of time. She had very humble beginnings, her life story is quite inspiring and it teaches you that anything is possible if you put your mind, your heart and hard work into it.

Congratulations to the men and women who have made it possible for Beautéderm to grow where it is today!

Mark Neumann, LT, Christopher De Leon for "Kamandag Ng Droga"

Got invited to the premier of the "Kamandag ng Droga" film of Carlo J. Caparas last week and saw stars Christopher De Leon, Mark Neumann, Ms. Perla Bautista, AJ Muhlach, CJ Caparas, Sarah Lahbati Gutierrez and their co-stars. Ms. Lorna I think was out spending time with family so she wasn't there at the premier. The film is an advocacy movie, about drugs and family relationships. Although it was tackling a pretty serious subject, it felt more like what we're seeing right now in the news, so it touched in reality and how the current administration is dealing with it. 

You will see the President's speech inserted in a few scenes while they are discussing the subject so it felt like a broadcast from TV or a long talk in congress. If you are a fan of the President then you'll really love this film but if you're not, then you probably should skip it. If you are looking for acting prowess, this may have hits and misses but overall it's just okay. You also should watch this for the merits of the stars, more so if you miss them because you haven't seen them in quite a while. As usual, Christopher and Ms. Lorna delivers, but felt it could have been better if they had a different premise, a different issue or talk, because I got a bit tired of the lengthy talk they did about the menace of drugs. It comprised about 80% of it, and the rest delved into family relationships, with friends, peer pressure, death and a lot of partying.

Please don't take me wrong, it was okay all in all but it was just not my cup of tea. Was it worth to watch it? If you are a fan of the president and his campaign then YES, if not then watch it because of the lovely stars in it. It was made for an intended audience, like a niche project. Take this review with a grain of salt, this is just me and perhaps not the entire audience that evening. Some clapped after the end scenes and had a pretty good time seeing the film. If you want to see it for the cause they want to also push, then this is for you. It's still out on theaters nationwide! Watch it before MMFF starts.

KUMAGCOW

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Funny, Independent, Powerful Women in Misterless Misis TV5

This series looked impossible to do right from the start. From the stellar cast, the multitude of characters they have to portray, the big stars, all must have been a headache to achieve since it's planning. They called it Misterless Misis, as this happens at an era when women want to see how real life independent women would handle their not so ordinary lives. The cast includes prime TV5 actress Ritz Azul, legendary actress comedienne Mitch Valdez, host and Jerry Springer's female version Gelli De Belen, multi awarded actress Ms. Lorna Tolentino, beauty queen, model and international star Ruffa Gutierrez and new full figured bombshell Andie Gomez (first ever contestant of FHHM Eat Bulaga fame).

 This isn't actually going to be serious as they're mostly going to be in a situational comedy scenes. Although the issues are, you can tell, pressing matters, they're going to concentrate way more on friendships, relationships and how it feels to heed the help of your friends. It reminded me much of Mysteria Lane or Desperate Housewives, but the director said if it might have some similarities, it's not intentional and the only common thing is just standard issues that women of their age go through. 

She was laughing profusely and was a bit put off by the mere fact that we were interviewing her. She's a communications student and she didn't think she was going to be on the other side of the fence during the press conference. She plays a very outspoken and ultra confident woman in the show. It's a far cry from what she is in real life but she laments "Actually, until today, I can't really believe what's happening. I only watch my co-stars on TV and now there's a chance for me, when they were looking for a fresh face we all know how small the population is for plus sized women in the industry. They wanted it, that's me but of course I auditioned for this, I was just chosen for this part. I don't have a manager but I think I need it. I was a grand finalist in FHHM but didn't get that far, so this was an unexpected blessing in disguise. 

My experience was more into news production, I was always the host in college and it was just role playing in college, but this is the first time. Tiny is more of Andie so this was no pressure, what made me realize this was different is because I'm in front of Ruffa and I had to be super confident with these beautiful people. We've taped already 3 episodes and it's going to be all about the characters, like backgrounders. Tiny is a big girl, happily married, has kids, but the confidence is over the roof, over the galaxy. I am the only one who always had a say about diets, but I'm not the streotype, I wear what I want even with this shape. This is so good for big girls, I hope that inspires people in the same state. 

I haven't really seen any episodes, waaa! I don't know how I'll look like on camera! I was so nervous with Ruffa because I had to say a line like I had to say I'm more beautiful than her. I had to also tell her that women this beautiful are snobs, and she had to be friendly since she's not LOL! I haven't worked that much with Ms. Lorna yet but we did have a conversation with other artists, I don't know yet what will happen because Ms. Lorna is so big, but she's very humble, very human without any star complex. I'm married here with Fabio Ide, so I don't know if I can do that... I haven't had a scene yet, but I'm hoping tomorrow will be good since we're doing it. In the multitude of personalities, Ms. Mitch and I will be very comedic because she plays my Mom in the show. Ms. Gelli also is a pro in pulling off lines. Ms. Mitch is always going to be my antagonist, we're always clashing and I can't wait for people to see my clothes in the show. I woke up like this! Complete with contours, heavy make up, a combination of funny and the not so normal big girls in the society and she doesn't care if there are problems. That part is nice she's funny and gives advice while biting on a doughnut. It's like modern to old school, you can tell we're telling people about themselves in the show. I hope people would be able to watch us on August 9, 2015 at 9PM." 

Ritz Azul sat with us to tell more about her character, she plays a Physical Therapist and handles old people regularly because it comes with the job. Her neighbors on the other hand judged her repeatedly saying these old geezers were her men! Crazy right? Well, she's still optimistic and hope this character makes notice of those chismosas in your neighborhood and how people would judge others in this situation. She says "I just came from school and got made up in my uniform, but my character is Mia, a PT and health buff, and vegetarian, and BOHO chic. They're going to talk about me in the show because they thing I have different DOM's but I just take care of them. We already taped with everyone and I feel there's no off and on cam thing in the set. Director Mark Meily made this a very happy set. I've worked with them all except Andie. They're all great people, they don't make you feel intimidated, and we always help out each other. I am a bit separate but I always have an epilogue in the last bit so we can sum up how to resolve problems every episode. 

It's an hour long and talks about Misis that are Misterless, from having breakups, death, and I'm the only one who is single in this show. That part is funny because they'll see me with different old people. It's been a long time since I heard that we were going to do this, but when it happened, it was really a dream just hearing the names of the cast members. I learned a lot from them especially Gelli who's really crazy on set. You can adlib but we do this like a commercial because this is Unitel. It's a shot per person, it's live audio so you have to remember everything. Ms. Mitch always sings on set, Gelli dances KPOP, Andie is a little nervous but we're always together on tent. For a new artist, she's working hard and she comes prepared because she reviews everything at home and throw lines with her PA. People can learn a lot from my character, not to judge people, and I think people should start living healthy. For the whole show, you'll learn something from us individually, you find love, you'll learn the value of friendships and how we all connect in the neighborhood. This is like Sex in the City, Friends and Desperate Housewives in one show. It's going to be a big surprise each time, I hope people would get to see it when we start on the 9th of August! It's going to be fun!"

The cast, and everyone else in the production would like you to watch this show made by Unitel and TV5. It's going to start on August 9, 2015 next week! Make sure you never miss a day so you can know more about their characters. It shows 9PM on the happiest network in the country, TV5!

For more information about their network:

TV5 Manila

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http://www.tv5.com.ph/

Switch & Save with Watsons Generics

We went to Manila Peninsula a few days ago to attend an event. I was mistaken to think this was only going to be a talk because as soon as I entered the ballroom... all I saw was medical facilities. Shocked as I was, I went ahead and got my Blood Sugar and Blood Pressure checked. I also got an appointment with the Doctor for Family Medicine. Now, I think I already knew what I was under from the last checkup in December. The thing is, it's gotten worse. Not so great news to start this but since I'm advised to take maintenance drugs already, I'm not too keen in spending a lot for it just like most Filipinos. Good thing, there's Watsons Generics now. 

Dr. Anthony Leachon explained the Philippine health condition. He showed the demographics on how poverty and distance from Manila makes it a higher percentage to have heart problems, cancer and other diseases because there's no infrastructure for prevention. Patients with inadequate health literacy also are more likely to be hospitalized too because most patients would rather not listen to doctors. He also said the public and private section should help health causes, he's glad that Watsons and SM Foundation has done this today. 

Health and Business Director of Watsons Danilo Chiong, says they are launching Watsons Generics would make medicines affordable, make consumers aware about health and providing a wide range of quality choices. Watsons also continue to train frontliners so they can be experts also to offer patient counseling and do blood pressure checks. They are also going to do health events like the one I went through, hopefully to become accessible to more Filipinos. 

Undersecretary Teodoro Herbosa says "We are now looking at a healthier future for Filipinos, and we are investing on the citizenry especially the poor. We are doing governance reforms for hospitals, upgrade health facilities and improve policies, regulations and sector management. All these are being done un DOH and PhilHealth". The SIN taxes really helped fund services for the poor and give a greater budget for PhilHealth making better and standardized payments for more common illnesses and giving more focus to Filipinos.

Lorna Tolentino also adds that it's important to have affordable medicine because not everyone can get it easily. She also believes the 150 years of experience that Watsons has just speaks how much they care for the health and well being of people around the world. Edu Manzano says that there are only a few brands that he believes in because endorsing it would mean being one with them. He believes in Watsons.

Now there's more choices for quality medicines right inside every Watsons store near you. It's got the Watsons Generics brand on it so you are sure you're getting the best quality for the money you buy.

For more information about their stores:

Watsons PH

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http://www.watsons.com.ph