2011 03/30-04/05

MANILA MAIL COMMUNITY

Richard Gutierrez soars higher in GMA-7's 'Captain Barbell."

Paolo Paraiso as The Sandman and TJ Trinidad as The Metal Man in GMA-7's 'Captain Barbell.'

Marian Rivera's ex-boyfriend, Eric Vijandre as 'Kidlat' in GMA-7's "Captain Barbell".

Akihiro Sato as 'The Hulkman' in GMA-7's "Captain Barbell."

St John the Evangelist Philgrimage Group held Jan. 16-30-2011, organized by Mango Tours, coordinated by Fr. Jun Pilante and Judy de la Torre. In the middle is Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, D.D. Archbishop of Manila

JC Deperio & the former Kristi Buenavista got married last Feb. 25, 2011 at the City of San Francisco. The reception was held at Alido’s Restaurant in South San Francisco . With them are their children and their flower girls, Kaeliana, Karaliya & Kameiyah De Perio.

Seen having a good time during last Saturday night's induction ball of the Philippine Medical Society of Northern California are: (L-R) Antioch's Ricky Masiddo, DDS, East Bay's Reggie Panganiban & Abby Borgonia of Pleasanton-based Sunshine Home Health and JF Wahab, owner of Crossroads Home Care & Hospice of San Francisco.

Lighthouse Entertainment's Line Producer, Nanette Labrador, center, partied with the members of the Journey during their last stop over here in the Bay Area. Lighthouse is producing Star Magic 18 US Tour in San Jose State University's Events Center on Saturday, April 16, 2011. For Star Magic 18 US Tour tickets, call Nanette at (510) 828-4792

Clockwise from top left : Seasons MarketPlace shoppers registering for “Tune-Ay Ka, Kapamilya, Labanang Karaoke” at the TFC Lounge; Ben Menor of NaFFAA and Jun Del Rosario of TFC flank Tune-ay Karaoke winner Allison Joy Rondez; Tune-ay winners Ronaldo Martinez, Allison Joy Rondez and Jolly Ann Victorino with Vivorah and Julius Santos of Adobo Nation; Contestants of all ages took part in TFC’s “Tune-Ay Ka, Kapamilya, Labanang Karaoke”; a huge crowd braved the rains to shop and dine at Seasons and watch TFC’s karaoke event. (Photos by Nerissa Fernandez)

CAPTAIN BARBELL IS BACK!

(Richard Gutierrez re-essays role as the original Philippine Superhero)

TO-BE-SEEN IN THE CITY

Nearly five years after its original television debut, CAPTAIN BARBELL takes flight once more as GMA Pinoy TV launches the exciting new sequel to the action-adventure series on March 30 in Philippine TV. The story promises to be more exciting, and the visual effects more amazing, as the greatest Pinoy superhero returns with a new league of extraordinary beings with astounding superpowers.

Richard Gutierrez reinterprets his role as the superhero Captain Barbell, and his alter ego, Teng. While Richard has immensely grown as an actor, so did Captain Barbell, who is now set to take on a greater mantle of protecting good from evil, still bearing of course, his iconic red cape.

The story picks up where it left off from the first series with Teng and his besotted Leah (Rhian Ramos) settling down in the city. But their simple life takes a dark turn when Leah is killed and becomes a heart donor to an undisclosed recipient.

In the spirit of true heroism, Captain Barbell fights through his sorrow and continues his quest for peace and order. He meets his strongest opponent in Nero (Christopher de Leon), an evil genius who became rich through his malevolent ways. Teng, on the other hand, clashes with Gregor (TJ Trinidad) whose father owns the tenement where Teng lives.

Meanwhile, during a freak storm formed by Nero, Captain Barbell helps a woman give birth in the tenement. This woman soon dies thus leaving Teng with the responsibility of taking care of her daughter, whom Teng names Leah or Lelay (Jillian Ward). At the same time, a strong lightning strikes Teng’s barbell, which in turn spreads unique superpowers among some of the tenants.

Years later, these tenants begin to discover their newfound gifts with some of them choosing to harness their superpowers for good, others for evil. One of them is Gregor, who has grown more jealous and hateful towards Teng. Gregor teams up with Nero, and along with the other supervillains, declares war against Captain Barbell.

On the other hand, General Armando (Eddie Gutierrez), a rich philanthropist, joins forces with Captain Barbell and urges him to pool together the new league of superheroes.

As Captain Barbell/Teng braves the dark forces, he also struggles with matters of the heart as he tries to uncover whom between his kind next-door neighbor Melanie (Isabel Oli) and Lelay’s school teacher Althea (Lovi Poe) received Leah’s heart. He also crosses paths with two other ladies who likewise play important roles in his life – his arrogant boss Anita (Michelle Madrigal) and the avid news reporter Jana (Solenn Heusaff).

With his extraordinary strength, unmatched fighting skills, and nearly invincible armor, can Captain Barbell together with the Liga ng Kalayaan successfully take down the supervillains, and defend his name as the ultimate protector of peace? How will he uncover the identity of Leah’s mysterious recipient? Which superheroes will form the Liga ng Kalayaan and who will side with the evil Nero?

Four lovely and capable actresses, Isabel Oli, Lovi Poe, Michelle Madrigal, and Solenn Heusaff play significant roles in Teng/Captain Barbell’s life, while lovable child wonder Jillian Ward stars as the superhero’s sidekick/pseudo-adopted daughter. Rhian Ramos reprises her role as Leah in the pilot week of the show.

Led by veteran actor and Richard’s real life father Eddie Gutierrez, the Liga ng Kalayaan are Bianca King as Lary, General Armando’s fearless assistant; Mike Tan as Teban, a former thief-turned-ally of Captain Barbell; Jake Vargas as Alden, a young superhero with a top as his weapon of choice; Bea Binene as Misha, another young superhero who wields power with her sword; and Frencheska Farr as Celina, the superheroine with a sonic voice.

On the other side, multi-award-winning actor Christopher de Leon heads the supervillains as Nero. Joining him are TJ Trinidad as Gregor, Teng/Captain Barbell’s fiercest enemy next to Nero; Paolo Paraiso as Rodel, the sandman; Akihiro Sato as Bruno, the hulkman; Elvis Gutierrez as Gaston, Gregor’s collaborator in spreading evil; Ervic Vijandre as Ricky, the flash; Sam Pinto as Sammy, the age-shifting supervillain; Ellen Adarna as Kat, the undecided sexy superhero; and Jon Hall as Rob, Anita’s egotistic business partner.

Completing the star-studded cast are Marky Lopez as Hekki, Jana’s assistant; and Ces Quesada as Tiya Lita, Lelay’s manipulative aunt.

This modern interpretation of the Mars Ravelo classic takes it a notch higher as it utilizes cutting edge 3D technology and computer-generated images or CGI in retelling the legendary story. Story-wise, 2011’s CAPTAIN BARBELL promises to be more dramatic, action-packed, and fast-paced than ever.

The production design is by Australian production designer Peter Collias who also designed the sets of international blockbusters “The Matrix” and “Moulin Rouge”, together with his Filipino counterpart Digo Ricio. The costumes are manufactured by Hong Kong based costume maker Emily Lai of Cubedecor, while the script is written by senior creative consultant RJ Nuevas under the creative guidance of Jun Lana. Singing the theme song “Sandata” is the Pinoy rock band Shamrock.

Ace director Dominic Zapata, who has helmed top-rating fantseryes such as Mulawin, Darna, and the first Captain Barbell, will direct this CAPTAIN BARBELL sequel.

Witness the soaring and much-awaited comeback of CAPTAIN BARBELL on GMA Pinoy TV! Call your preferred pay TV operator now to subscribe (Channel 369 on Comcast).

SEEN IN THE CITY

TFC Lounge’s “Tune-Ay Ka, Kapamilya, Labanang Karaoke”

a big hit at Seasons MarketPlace in Milpitas

(ABS-CBN TFC, Seasons reinforce commitment to community-building at the South Bay)

ABS-CBN International’s The Filipino Channel (TFC) continues its community-building efforts in the South Bay with its first ever TFC Lounge which was launched successfully last February 26 at Seasons MarketPlace at Landess, the new retail and dining center opened by Ayalafil Management and the Seafood City Family of Companies in the heart of Silicon Valley in Milpitas, California.

On March 19, the TFC Lounge hosted “Tune-Ay Ka, Kapamilya, Labanang Karaoke”, a karaoke singing contest at Seasons. Shoppers braved the heavy rains and their nerves by gamely signing up for the event which registered 27 entries, 12 of which were drawn to take part in the contest that was held at the mall’s events suite. Contestants’ ages ranged from as young as 12 years old to senior citizen age, proving that this TFC activity appealed across the age spectrum or all members of the family.

After enjoying dining, grocery and retail shopping at Seasons’ various establishments and at the Starry Starry Store kiosk, scores of shoppers trooped to watch “Tune-Ay Ka, Kapamilya, Labanang Karaoke”, hosted by Adobo Nation’s Julius Santos and pop diva of sing-along comedy bars, Vivorah. The jolly hosts pumped up the audience with well-received games and a song-and-dance number from Vivorah.

Then one by one, a dozen contestants crooned, rocked and belted their way through their highly diverse numbers, regaling the crowd with different singing styles and music genres. The performances were judged based on the scores that registered on the karaoke audio equipment that was used and ratings of the judges, with 50% for voice quality and interpretation and 50% for audience impact and stage presence. The panel of judges was composed of Jun Del Rosario, ABS-CBN International’s senior director for cable and satellite, and Ben Menor, county chair, National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Santa Clara County Chapter (Region 8/Northern California).

After the smoke cleared, the top three winners emerged: first place went to Allison Joy Rondez for her rendition of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You”; second place went to Jolly Ann Victorino who sang Beyonce’s “Listen”; and third place went to Ronaldo Martinez who performed Rico Puno’s “May Bukas Pa”.

“The TFC Lounge was envisioned to be a hub for our subscribers to interact with TFC shows through picture-taking by our Imortal standees, writing in the Mara Clara diary, and so on, where they can get the chance to be featured on TFC. However, the karaoke contest concept came about when Seasons MarketPlace Director Dinna Bayangos and Merchant Relations Consultant Girly Ramos informed us that shoppers drop by our lounge to engage in sing-along activities! We quickly adopted the idea as a way of improving and developing our affinity with our subscribers,” said Del Rosario.

As an additional testament to TFC’s community-building efforts at Seasons, various tenants joined ABS-CBN’s TFC, Magic Sing care of Starry Starry Store and StarKargo in donating prizes and giveaways for “Tune-Ay Ka, Kapamilya, Labanang Karaoke”. These included Seafood City, Max’s of Manila, Bench Body, Filipino Desserts Plus, Hair Couture Salon, Coffee Adventure, Gabucan Family Dentistry, Ideal Vision, Beard Papa’s and Atlas Express Padala. Lighthouse Entertainment also donated as prizes tickets to the Star Magic Tour 2011 at the San Jose State Event Center Arena on April 16.

PERSONAL NOTES

Briefs & shorts

Happy birthday to Cory Liwanag Isidro (March 28). Advanced happy birthday to Richard Lao who celebrated with Marin County’s Lolita Hadjian & her daughter Malou Hipolito over a sumtuous Dimsum brunch last weekend at Ming’s in Palo Alto.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“The problem is not with Nonito, the problem is with Rachel. She is envious of Manny Pacquiao. She wants to know why Nonito wasn’t promoted like Pacquiao. It was ludicrous kind of stuff. She was jealous. She has Pacquiao envy.” – by Harvard-educated Pacquiao Mega Promoter, Bob Arum on why Nonito Donaire left his Top Rank Promotions to sign with Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. Arum further described that Rachel dresses like a slut, a hooker according to published online reports (Rachel apparently criticizes Jinkee Pacquiao outfits which Arum, says is very ladylike). Prior to this, the Donaire couple started accusing several sportswriters of causing their very public family feuds over money. What can I say? Cheap tricks, cheap talks, plainly cheap!

This article also appears online at www.FilipinoVillage.com and http://sites.google.com/site/adkinsmmcevents/Home/ with readership in 117 countries now (& still counting!) according to the latest Google Analytics report.

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