2010 12/01-12/07

MANILA MAIL COMMUNITY

Toni Gonzaga topbills ABS-CBN International's 'My Amnesia Girl' with John Lloyd Cruz, to be shown in US cities, including San Francisco and Milpitas, starting December 3.

VIVA SIGNS NEW TALENT. Vic Del Rosario, left, Viva's top honcho signs contract last Monday,Nov 22 to manage the career of Tagalog-speaking Fil-Am Elite Model, Coraleen Roberto-Waddell, 20, also a former Manila Mail 'Magandang Filipina', center (shown here with discoverer and co-manager, Bradford Adkins of San Francisco, right).

CORNICHE LAUNCHING, MONDAY, NOV 22. The owner of Corniche at Diamond Hotel along Roxas Boulevard, Cecile Ang, center, with grand opening guests Carlo Calma, left and Allyson Artes. Corniche Restaurant is located at the hotel’s lobby level. It can accommodate up to 210 guests. For reservations at Corniche, call (632) 528-3000 local 1121. Diamond Hotel Philippines is located at Roxas Boulevard corner Dr. J Quintos St., Manila. For inquiries or reservations, call 528-3000 or 305-3000, e-mail at bizcenter@diamondhotel.com

Want to meet Coco Martin this close in person (shown here with Fremont's Sunny Tila)? Attend the special screening of "NOY" on Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 6:00 PM at the Newark Pavilion - Hall One. The event includes Dinner, Dancing, with Meet and Greet. It is being held EXCLUSIVELY for ONLY 400 guests with the LIVE performance of COCO MARTIN. Please contact Archie at (510) 552-1546 or Nanette at (510) 828-4792 for ticket reservation.

“SHOWCASE 2010” a successful fundraising show was put together by Lilwyn Lucas, Rey Pautin, Philippe Vailleau, and designer Crisanta Malig on Nov 19, 2010 at Club Level 236. Fashion show featuring designers from FAYE and 'Strictly For You' rocked the runway and celebrated Scorpio birthdays. This event was put together to motivate and help young artists showcase their talent.

Join Vicky Morales as GMA Pinoy TV celebrates 'Wish Ko Lang', now on its 8th year in making ordinary people's dreams come true.

VIVA signs ‘Magandang Filipina’ Coraleen Roberto-Waddell

(According to insiders, she’s only the 3^rd talent Vic Del Rosario directly manages after Sarah Geronimo & Willie Revillame)

SEEN IN THE CITY

GMA 7 Executive Regina ‘Reggie’ Magno gushes that she looks like Marian Rivera that she asked her to see another GMA Executive, Lilibeth Rasonable on the 17^th floor office that same day last week. Gabby Concepcion saw her in Cerritos, CA last month and opined the same that she asked her to call his Ad Agency in Manila, pronto. She can act, sing, dance and she stunningly looks like a model with a 19-inch waistline (thinner than Bb Pilipinas, Venus Raj who has 21” during her Miss Universe prime). The minute Coraleen Roberto-Waddell sways walking in at Vic Del Rosario’s Ortigas offices last Monday and when she spoke in fluent Tagalog, Viva Artists Agency Inc.’s top honcho offered to sign her up to an exclusive managerial contract, immediately.

Flashback 20 years earlier, in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, where I met her Dad, Scott Waddell who then works as a Professional Photographer and General Manager of Flash Foto, a seasonal-based business that sells photographs to mostly Japanese island tourists. I watched the perky Coraleen grew up tended most of the time by her maternal grandmother, Corazon Sarita Roberto (of Sabang in Baliwag, Bulacan), fondly called by every Filipino Contract Worker in the island as simply ‘Nanay Cora’. From Nanay Cora is where Coraleen learned how to speak fluent Tagalog and her deep Filipino values. Also from Nanay Cora is where she got the first half of her name, Coraleen. The other half came from Aileen, the other grandma. Francy, Coraleen’s mom is an Airline Trainor for Continental Airlines for so many years, before the family moved to Orlando, FL to continue her studies there with younger brother, Curtis Jay. Her other relatives (Marilyn Tolentino, Marvic Roberto, Rob Roberto & Roberto Waddell, among others) moved, for greener pasture, to San Franciscoand Anaheim areas. She reconnected with this Columnist about a couple of years ago and expressed interest in pursuing a career in entertainment industry. This paper promptly introduced her as a featured model in its ‘Magandang Filipina’ section by Joey Panlilio.

The future, already looks bright on Coraleen as Elite Models Manila tapped her to appear on The Philippines’ Best Fashion Magazine, Mega Magazine (previous Covergirls are Kim Chiu, Marian Rivera, Cristine Reyes, Ruffa Gutierrez & Venus Raj, to name a few) project, a reality-based fashion show titled ‘Young Designers Competition 2011 (YDC) where 18 aspiring designers compete in the country’s biggest and longest-running fashion challenge, to be aired soon every Monday at 10:00 pm on ETC cable TV.

And that was just her first week in Manila.

Congratulations and good luck, Coraleen! And stay grounded.

TO-BE-SEEN IN THE CITY

“My Amnesia Girl” to screen in the US starting Dec 3

Think Adam Sandler & Drew Barrymore in ’50 First Dates’ - a highly successful Hollywood romantic comedy about memory loss. I personally know a guy who watches this movie like 50 times already and still enjoys it. Now, substitute local artists John Lloyd Cruz & Toni Gonzaga in those roles that would prove that love conquers all, including amnesia.

ABS-CBN International presents the international screening of “My Amnesia Girl” in the following theaters and cities, December 3 to 9, 2010:

San Diego

UA Horton Plaza, San Diego

Las Vegas

Regal Village Square Stadium, Las Vegas

Seattle

Venue: Parkway Plaza Stadium 12, Seattle

San Francisco

UA Stonestown Twin, San Francisco

Milpitas

Century Great Mall, Milpitas

New Jersey

Clearview Bergenfield Cinemas, New Jersey - Bergenfield

Los Angeles

Cerritos Stadium Cinema, Los Angeles – Cerritos

http://www.starcinema.com.ph/events

PERSONAL NOTES

“Wish Ko Lang” by GMA Pinoy TV celebrates 8 years

After eight years of being a beacon of hope to those in need, WISH KO LANG continues to touch and enrich the lives of fellow Filipinos in a way that will speak to the heart of any viewer.

This year, WISH KO LANG celebrates its anniversary by going around the country and bringing heartwarming surprises to chosen individuals and communities. The program starts off its three part Pangarap Tour in Luzon .

The Pangarap Tour’s first stop is Kalinga, the hometown of Oliver, who, at the age of fifteen, was stricken by a mysterious illness. For unknown reasons, Oliver’s legs suddenly started growing weaker until he became unable to walk. For three years now, Oliver has been bedridden, his legs oftentimes tied down to restrain from involuntarily moving. Up until now, his family is still unsure of what condition he has.

From Kalinga, WISH KO LANG heads to Panubtuban Elementary School in Ifugao. According to Ofelia Catama, one of the teachers in Panubtuban, the school’s book supply is alarmingly insufficient that twenty students have no choice but to share one book. The school’s library is almost empty, and if there are any books, these are mostly second hand books which are meant for college students. Ofelia sometimes spends for school materials out of her own pocket, but she can only do so much.

What heartwarming surprises await Oliver and the students of Panubtuban? Get ready to be moved and inspired as WISH KO LANG turns dreams into reality this week through its anniversary special, Pangarap Tour, only on GMA Pinoy TV. Call your preferred pay TV operator now to subscribe.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Human trafficking is a crime, a heinous crime, a shame to humanity. I ask everyone to join me to create a society free of trafficking. We need to do this for all our daughters." by a woman named Anuradha Koirala of Nepal, this year’s CNN Hero of the Year, succeeding Efren Penaflorida of the Philippines. She has helped rescue more than 12,000 women and girls. Koirala will receive $100,000 to continue her work, in addition to the $25,000 awarded to each of the top 10 Heroes honored.

This article also appears online at www.FilipinoVillage.com and http://sites.google.com/site/adkinsmmcevents/Home/ with readership in 98 countries now, and still counting, according to the latest Google Analytics report.

Do you have any personal or community events you want announced or published? Just email them to bradford_adkins@yahoo.com