2010 04/21-04/27
Northern California's largest Filipino American newspaper in circulation since 1990, the Manila Mail is the Bay Area's most read Fil-Am weekly publication distributed free in major cities of Northern California. Community is a B Section page that contains the weekly column of Bradford Adkins 'SCENES in the city'. The column features include: the issues and events, the individuals and organizations moving the community.
Jonathan Macalolooy - A Filipino-American, Mixed Martial Artist and Cage Fighter out of Union City, CA will be having his second professional fight on May 1, 2010. He will be fighting for the Gladiator Challenge at Red Hawk Casino in Placerville. Doors open at 4:30pm and fights starts at 6pm. Contact kajudragon@sbcglobal.net for tickets.
Sam Milby, left, promotes his new movie with Anne Curtis, "Babe, I Love You" (now showing in San Francisco's UA Stonestown Theater) about 2 Sundays ago in 'The Buzz' with the show's main host, Kris Aquino. Photo by Richard Lao.
Union City's Melissa Ann Sokukawa, officially representing West Coast USA, competes with 52 other Filipinas to win the 2010 Miss Philippines Earth crown in the finals night this Saturday, April 24th at the Manila Ocean Park. If she wins, she will be the first US representative to capture the elusive crown eversince the famous eco-friendly pageant started accepting foreign-born Filipinas as candidates about 5 years ago.
Arnel Pineda (shown here with Line Producer Nanette Labrador of Fremont) promised and will fulfill that commitment as he reunites with his original band, The Zoo now called The Ammo Band at the Peppermill Resort on July 3rd.
Anne Curtis's (shown here with Manila Mail's Richard Lao and this columnist during the duo's recent Manila ABS-CBN Studio Tour) movie with Sam Milby, "Babe, I love You" is now showing at UA Stonestown Theater in San Francisco and in 6 other US key cities.
Sam, Anne renew sizzling chemistry in “Babe, I Love You”
(ABS-CBN’s Starry Starry Store brings Spring film offering to 7 U.S. Cities this April )
SEEN IN THE CITY
One of the country’s top loveteams on Philippine television, Sam Milby and Anne Curtis, renew the chemistry they forged in the megahit TFC teleseryes Maging Sino Ka Man and Diyosa and take it to the big screen in Star Cinema’s Babe, I Love You. ABS-CBN’s Starry Starry Store is bringing the film to seven U.S. cities this April: San Francisco , San Diego , Las Vegas , Seattle , Los Angeles-Cerritos, Honolulu , and New Jersey-Bergenfield.
While Babe, I Love You is the first movie team-up of Sam and Anne, movie audiences in the U.S. have trooped to their earlier films shown by Starry Starry Store: Anne in When Love Begins with Aga Muhlach and Cute Ng Ina Mo with Ai Ai delas Alas and Luis Manzano; Sam in My Big Love with Toni Gonzaga and in And I Love You So, a top—grossing film, with Bea Alonzo and Derek Ramsay.
Babe, I Love You, which earned P12 million on its opening day recently in the Philippines (second only to Miss You Like Crazy which took P18 million on its first day), combines the acting strengths of this former real-life couple to fashion a highly entertaining romantic comedy. At the helm is successful TV director Mae Czarina Cruz who is directing her first full-length feature film. She is, however, familiar with the on-screen capabilities and smoldering sex appeal of Sam and Anne, having directed them in Maging Sino Ka Man.
Can two people from opposite worlds actually fall in love and make it work? This is the question that Babe, I Love You tries to answer.
Nico Veneracion (Sam) is the academe’s Golden Boy: a young, smart, respected, affluent and good-looking Architecture professor on his way to becoming the next Vice Dean of the Department. He has been working hard for this to win back his mother (played by award-winning actress-director Laurice Guillen) who indirectly blames him for the death of his father.
On the other hand, Sasa Sanchez (Anne) couldn’t be living more in a parallel universe: this loud-mouthed promo girl is poor, unapologetically style- and sensibility-challenged, but never short of confidence and hope for bigger things in life. Being sexy and pretty, she loves joining beauty contests only to tank at the Q&A portion.
When the worlds of Nico and Sasa first collide, the result is cat-and-dog repulsion towards each other. But love works in mysterious ways and soon, their clashes turn into an inexplicable attraction. Addictingly drawn to each other, Nico and Sasa now need to face the next challenge in their relationship: discovering your loved one’s hidden past and finding out if you made the right decision to have a relationship in the first place. Is their love true and strong enough to be able to move on? Or is it just a strange chemical attraction?
“Fans have long clamored for a Sam-Anne movie team-up and we strongly believe that Babe, I Love You is the perfect vehicle for this loveteam to break into the big screen,” said Kerwin Du, ABS-CBN International’s Head of Theatricals and Retail. “This romantic comedy is also a perfect offering for Spring when love is in the air, everything is in bloom, and people are generally very upbeat and hopeful. We’re confident that Sam and Anne will not disappoint with their film debut.”
Babe, I Love You is now still showing in the following dates, cities and theaters:
April 16-22
SAN FRANCISCO
UA Stonestown Twin
501 Buckingham Way
San Francisco, CA 94132
SAN DIEGO
UA Horton Plaza
475 Horton Plaza
San Diego, CA 92101
LAS VEGAS
Regal Village Square Stadium
9400 W Sahara Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89058
SEATTLE
Parkway Plaza Stadium 12
5910 South 180th Street
Tukwila, WA 98188
April 16-29
LOS ANGELES-CERRITOS
Cerritos Stadium Cinema
12761 Towne Center Drive
Cerritos, CA 90701
April 30-May 6
HONOLULU
Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18
735 Iwilei Road #B
Honolulu, HI 96817
April 30-May 13
NEW JERSEY-BERGENFIELD
Clearview Bergenfield Cinemas
58 South Washington Avenue
Bergenfield, NJ 07621
For more information, please visit www.abs-cbnglobalmovies.com.
TO-BE-SEEN IN THE CITY
Joe Esteves Seeks Re-election
Jose ‘Joe’ Esteves, former Mayor of the City of Milpitas from years 2002-2008, chosen Milpitas ’ Best Elected Official also for years 2002-2008 and Milpitas ’ Citizen of the Year is seeking re-election anew and is inviting the public at hisFriday, May 7th Campaign Kick-Off Party to be held at the Milpitas Community Center situated at 457 E. Calaveras Blvd, Milpitas CA 95035 from 7:00p.m. to 10:00p.m. For further information, please call (408) 263- 1153 or send email toestevesj@aol.com.
Journey’s Arnel Pineda’s Promise
Before Arnel Pineda got hired by the world-famous band, Journey, he honed his singing skills by performing nightly with his local band in the Phillippines, The Zoo.
And before leaving Manila to become a very successful lead singer for Journey, he gave a promise to his The Zoo band members that he will soon get them to perform with him too in the United States .
That promise by Arnel he will finally deliver when he performs with his band, now called The AMMO Band (why they changed the name is another story to tell) at the Peppermill Resort Casino in the most awaited concert in Reno on a long weekend party, Saturday, July 3, 2010.
For advanced ticket sales and sponsorships, please call either Archie Mendiorro or Nanette Labrador at 510-552-1546, 510-648-7278 and 510-828-4792.
PERSONAL NOTES
Good luck to Bay Area-owned Melissa Ann Sukokawa, 19, the half-Japanese Filipina from Union City and the official representative of West Coast USA, who is now in the final phase of the competition to be the first US representative to bring home in the US the Miss Philippines Earth crown.
She and 52 other delegates just checked in at the H20 Hotel in Manila , in close proximity to the final pageant night’s venue which is the Manila Ocean Park(behind the Quirino Grandstand at the Luneta Park ). Finals is set on Saturday, April 24th to be delayed-telecast on TV the following day.
So far, Melissa managed to get noticed early on as she wins Best in Casual Wear Top 5.
With her charm, 5’9” height, 36-24-36 vital statistics and sweet face, she remains an early favorite by local pageant enthusiasts.
Bring home that crown, Melissa!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The greatest thing I ever did was make enough money so I could buy my mom a house. YOU can buy your mom a house." – Host par excellence, Ryan Seacresttelling American Idol current frontrunner, Crystal Bowersox, who almost quit about two weeks ago. The judges’ favorite soulful dreadlocked female rocker walked off the show and was ready to call it quits, when host Ryan saved the day.
According to published reports online, “the incident reportedly took place in the parking lot following the taping of the show in front of a group of people.
Crystal reportedly told Ryan, "What's the point?" and said she couldn't handle the competition. The singer said she was planning on leaving and returning to Ohio to be with her family. That’s when Ryan told Crystal the mom/house quote that made the female contestant think again.
Ryan's little pep talk appears to have worked. Crystal remains in the competition and last week sang Elvis Presley's, "Saved," which yet again earned her very high praise from the judges.”
This column also appears online at www.FilipinoVillage.com andhttp://sites.google.com/site/adkinsmmcevents/Home/ with readership in 68 countries now, according to the latest Google Analytics report.
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