2013 12/13-12/19

The Premier Filipino-American Newspaper in the U.S. since 1961. It was founded in 1961 in the San Francisco home of expatriate Alex Esclamado. It has become one of the oldest and biggest Asian American newspapers with a weekly circulation of 120,000.

Northern California's fast-growing Filipino American newspaper in circulation since 2007, the Philippines Today is well-known to provide fair news and fearless views. The leading mid-week Fil-Am local newspaper is being distributed free in the major cities of Northern California.

Your No. 1 Source of Filipino Entertainment News in North America.

Fil-Am Insider is a bi-weekly entertainment publication for the Filipino community circulated in Northern and Southern California, Nevada and New York.

SCENES IN THE CITY

Bradford Adkins, 'SCENES In The City' is a widely read Filipino-American community column in San Francisco since 2008. Online, it is being globally read by more than 1.7 M viewers in 160 countries. The column features include: the issues and events, the individuals and organizations moving the community.

Miss Philippines Bea Rose Santiago (center) wins Miss International 2013 crown while Nathalie den Dekker of the Netherlands & Casey Radley of New Zealand placed 1st and 2nd runners-up, respectively. Photo by AFP

Designer Anthony Legarda (center) presented his latest collection using eco-friendly materials during the recent BANGON PILIPINAS Typhoon Relief Campaign held at The Fort McKinley (shown here with models Inigo Cacho, Miss Asian Las Vegas 2nd Princess & Binibining TFC Alexandra Drechsler, Hillary Hancock & Kaila Williams).

The Oak Grove Springs Care Home in Oakland, CA held their Annual Employees' Christmas Party led by facility Owner Letty Panes Perez (2nd right) & sister Julie Panes Solis (extreme right).

Kaiser Walnut Creek's Joy Manalang (4th right) sang & danced with family, friends & co-workers during her 40th 80s-themed birthday party held at The Hilton in Pleasanton, CA. Belated Happy Birthday, Joy!

Friday, the 13th at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center, spearheaded by the current President Virgil Reyes (seated far left). The California Association of Residential Care Homes - Greater East Bay Area (CARCH-GEBA) held their Christmas Party Celebration last

MISS PHILIPPINES WINS 5TH MISS INTERNATIONAL CROWN

SEEN IN THE CITY

(TOKYO, JAPAN) – “The whole world saw how my country, The Philippines, suffered. The agony of my people was felt. But one by one, country to country came to help. I would like to thank all the nations that helped my country (she puts her right hand over her heart in this portion). In our darkest hours, you have opened my eyes and my heart on how important it is if we all just…support each other.

If I become Miss International, I will uphold international camaraderie, to sustain the spirit for sympathy and to continually share the message of hope. I believe that whatever calamity might come to us, as long as we have each other, there will be hope. Thank you!” – declares Miss Binibining Pilipinas Bea Rose Santiago of Masbate that sealed her fate as the 53rd Miss International at a glittering coronation night held at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Hall in Tokyo last Tuesday night. She bested 66 other aspirants to the crown.

Santiago thanked her supporters, her country and Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) chair Stella Marquez Araneta, the first Miss International winner, for training her.

Nathalie den Dekker of the Netherlands was declared 1st Runner Up (she was highly favored to win weeks before the finals) while Miss New Zealand Casey Radley was named 2nd Runner Up. Completing the Top 5 Finalists are Misses Colombia Lorena Hermida and Hungary Brigitta Otvos.

The Top 15 semi-finalists included Misses Brazil, Ecuador, Iceland, Gibraltar, Lithuania, Puerto Rico, Russia, Spain, Thailand and the United States.

Special awards were given to Miss New Zealand – Casey Radley as Miss Friendship;

Miss Macau – Adela Ka-Wai Sou as Miss Internet; Miss Lithuania – Elma Segzdaviciute

As Miss Photogenic and Miss Aruba – Erialda Croes as Best National Costume.

Santiago’s win is 3rd for the Philippines for this year alone - Mutya Datul won Miss Supranational contest in Belarus and Megan Young was hailed as the new Miss World pageant in Indonesia.

This is the Philippines’ 5th Miss International crown as previous winners include Precious Lara Quigaman eight years ago, Gemma Cruz (1964), Aurora Pijuan (1970) and Melanie Marquez (1979). Now we are only a win behind Venezuela, which has the most number of Miss International victories with six (6).

It is also noteworthy that other Philippine delegates this year performed impressively – Ariella Arida placed 3rd Runner Up in the Miss Universe 2013 held in Moscow; Angelee delos Reyes was part of Top 8 Finalist in the recently concluded Miss Earth; Annalie Forbes was Miss Grand International 3rd Runner Up held in Bangkok, Thailand; Koreen Garcia Medina was 3rd Runner Up in the Miss Intercontinental; Amber delos Reyes Miss Teen Expoworld held in Guatemala and Gil Wagas was Mr. International 4th Runner-Up held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

This article also appears online at www.BradfordAdkins.com,www.ScenesInTheCity.com, www.PinoyEntertainment.us, www.PhilippineNews.com,www.FilAmInsider.co, www.PhilippinesTodayUS.com and http://sites.google.com/site/adkinsmmcevents/Home/ with readership in 160 countries now (& still counting!) according to the latest Google Analytics report.

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“LOOK UP, LOOK UP! The GMA News and Public Affairs 2013 Yearend Review” on GMA Pinoy TV

Filipinos had their share of tragedies and controversies this 2013. Who can forget the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that destroyed communities and national heritage sites in Cebu and Bohol, or the super typhoon Yolanda, which claimed the lives of thousands in Visayas? While both calamities have passed, there is no denying that they have left scars in the history of the nation.

Nature wasn’t the only force that the Filipinos had to contend with. The nation was in an uproar over the pork barrel scam, which made Janet Lim-Napoles a household name and placed several other politicians in the hot seat. The issue hit the Filipinos right where it hurts, leading millions of them to come together and fight for their rights in Luneta.

On top of all these crises, the Filipinos in Cotabato and Zamboanga remained trapped in a war between the government and the leftists. The Philippines’ refusal to yield rights over Sabah even led to bloodshed in Malaysia.

With 2013 nearing its end, ”Imbestigador” Mike Enriquez and ”Aling Maliit” Ryzza Mae Dizon are teaming up to look back at the year that was, drive away the bad vibes, and welcome the coming year in high spirits with ”LOOK UP, LOOK UP! The GMA News and Public Affairs 2013 Yearend Review”.

LOOK UP, LOOK UP!” will delve into the possible ways Filipinos will take to rise above 2013’s series of unfortunate events. Mike and Ryzza Mae will be joined by experts to determine the lessons imparted by the year’s tragic events and political issues. They will tackle how to better prepare for unforeseen natural disasters, ensure that the masterminds behind the pork barrel scam will be apprehended, protect the people’s money, and maintain and restore peace and order across the country.

Get ready for the new year with ”LOOK UP, LOOK UP! The GMA News and Public Affairs 2013 Yearend Review”, coming this December 29 on GMA Pinoy TV.

9 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS ADVANCE IN OSCAR® RACE

BEVERLY HILLS, CA —Nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 86th Academy Awards®. Seventy-six films had originally been considered in the category.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Belgium, "The Broken Circle Breakdown," Felix van Groeningen, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, "An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker," Danis Tanovic, director;

Cambodia, "The Missing Picture," Rithy Panh, director;

Denmark, "The Hunt," Thomas Vinterberg, director;

Germany, "Two Lives," Georg Maas, director;

Hong Kong, "The Grandmaster," Wong Kar-wai, director;

Hungary, "The Notebook," Janos Szasz, director;

Italy, "The Great Beauty," Paolo Sorrentino, director;

Palestine, "Omar," Hany Abu-Assad, director.

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2013 are being determined in two phases.

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 16. The group's top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy's Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five nominees by specially invited committees in New York and Los Angeles. They will spend Friday, January 10, through Sunday, January 12, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.

The 86th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

114 ORIGINAL SCORES IN 2013 OSCAR® RACE

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — One hundred fourteen scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2013 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 86th Oscars®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below, in alphabetical order by film title:

"Admission," Stephen Trask, composer

"Ain't Them Bodies Saints," Daniel Hart, composer

"All Is Lost," Alex Ebert, composer

"Alone Yet Not Alone," William Ross, composer

"The Armstrong Lie," David Kahne, composer

"Arthur Newman," Nick Urata, composer

"At Any Price," Dickon Hinchliffe, composer

"Austenland," Ilan Eshkeri, composer

"Before Midnight," Graham Reynolds, composer

"The Best Man Holiday," Stanley Clarke, composer

"The Book Thief," John Williams, composer

"The Butterfly's Dream," Rahman Altin, composer

"The Call," John Debney, composer

"Captain Phillips," Henry Jackman, composer

"Closed Circuit," Joby Talbot, composer

"The Company You Keep," Cliff Martinez, composer

"The Conjuring," Joseph Bishara, composer

"Copperhead," Laurent Eyquem, composer

"The Counselor," Daniel Pemberton, composer

"The Croods," Alan Silvestri, composer

"Despicable Me 2," Heitor Pereira, composer

"Elysium," Ryan Amon, composer

"Ender's Game," Steve Jablonsky, composer

"Enough Said," Marcelo Zarvos, composer

"Epic," Danny Elfman, composer

"Ernest & Celestine," Vincent Courtois, composer

"Escape from Planet Earth," Aaron Zigman, composer

"Escape from Tomorrow," Abel Korzeniowski, composer

"Evil Dead," Roque Baños, composer

"47 Ronin," Ilan Eshkeri, composer

"42," Mark Isham, composer

"Free Birds," Dominic Lewis, composer

"Free China: The Courage to Believe," Tony Chen, composer

"Fruitvale Station," Ludwig Goransson, composer

"G.I. Joe: Retaliation," Henry Jackman, composer

"Gangster Squad," Steve Jablonsky, composer

"Gravity," Steven Price, composer

"The Great Gatsby," Craig Armstrong, composer

"The Hangover Part III," Christophe Beck, composer

"Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters," Atli Örvarsson, composer

"Haute Cuisine," Gabriel Yared, composer

"Her," William Butler and Owen Pallett, composers

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," Howard Shore, composer

"Hollywood Seagull," Evgeny Shchukin, composer

"Hours," Benjamin Wallfisch, composer

"How Sweet It Is," Matt Dahan, composer

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," James Newton Howard, composer

"Identity Thief," Christopher Lennertz, composer

"The Incredible Burt Wonderstone," Lyle Workman, composer

"Insidious: Chapter 2," Joseph Bishara, composer

"Instructions Not Included," Carlo Siliotto, composer

"The Internship," Christophe Beck, composer

"The Invisible Woman," Ilan Eshkeri, composer

"Iron Man 3," Brian Tyler, composer

"Jack the Giant Slayer," John Ottman, composer

"Jobs," John Debney, composer

"Kamasutra 3D," Sreejith Edavana and Saachin Raj Chelory, composers

"Labor Day," Rolfe Kent, composer

"Lee Daniels' The Butler," Rodrigo Leão, composer

"Live at the Foxes Den," Jack Holmes, composer

"Love Is All You Need," Johan Söderqvist, composer

"Mama," Fernando Velázquez, composer

"Man of Steel," Hans Zimmer, composer

"Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," Alex Heffes, composer

"The Missing Picture," Marc Marder, composer

"Monsters University," Randy Newman, composer

"The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," Atli Örvarsson, composer

"Mud," David Wingo, composer

"Murph: The Protector," Chris Irwin and Jeff Widenhofer, composers

"Now You See Me," Brian Tyler, composer

"Oblivion," Anthony Gonzalez and Joseph Trapanese, composers

"Oldboy," Roque Baños, composer

"Olympus Has Fallen," Trevor Morris, composer

"Oz The Great and Powerful," Danny Elfman, composer

"Pacific Rim," Ramin Djawadi, composer

"Pain & Gain," Steve Jablonsky, composer

"Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters," Andrew Lockington, composer

"Philomena," Alexandre Desplat, composer

"The Place beyond the Pines," Mike Patton, composer

"Planes," Mark Mancina, composer

"Prisoners," Jóhann Jóhannsson, composer

"R.I.P.D.," Christophe Beck, composer

"Reaching for the Moon," Marcelo Zarvos, composer

"Romeo & Juliet," Abel Korzeniowski, composer

"Runner Runner," Christophe Beck, composer

"Rush," Hans Zimmer, composer

"Safe Haven," Deborah Lurie, composer

"Salinger," Lorne Balfe, composer

"Saving Mr. Banks," Thomas Newman, composer

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," Theodore Shapiro, composer

"Short Term 12," Joel P. West, composer

"Side Effects," Thomas Newman, composer

"The Smurfs 2," Heitor Pereira, composer

"The Spectacular Now," Rob Simonsen, composer

"Star Trek Into Darkness," Michael Giacchino, composer

"Stoker," Clint Mansell, composer

"Thor: The Dark World," Brian Tyler, composer

"Tim's Vermeer," Conrad Pope, composer

"Trance," Rick Smith, composer

"Turbo," Henry Jackman, composer

"12 Years a Slave," Hans Zimmer, composer

"2 Guns," Clinton Shorter, composer

"The Ultimate Life," Mark McKenzie, composer

"Unfinished Song," Laura Rossi, composer

"Wadjda," Max Richter, composer

"Walking with Dinosaurs," Paul Leonard-Morgan, composer

"Warm Bodies," Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, composers

"We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks," Will Bates, composer

"We're the Millers," Theodore Shapiro and Ludwig Goransson, composers

"What Maisie Knew," Nick Urata, composer

"Why We Ride," Steven Gutheinz, composer

"The Wind Rises," Joe Hisaishi, composer

"Winnie Mandela," Laurent Eyquem, composer

"The Wolverine," Marco Beltrami, composer

A Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score category will be made available with a nominations ballot to all members of the Music Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.

To be eligible, the original score must be a substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring, and must be written specifically for the motion picture by the submitting composer. Scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other preexisting music, diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs, or assembled from the music of more than one composer shall not be eligible.

The 86th Academy Awards® nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

# # #

ABOUT THE ACADEMY

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards–in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners–Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY

www.oscars.org

www.facebook.com/TheAcademy

www.youtube.com/Oscars

www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

75 ORIGINAL SONGS TUNE UP FOR 2013 OSCAR®

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Seventy-five songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2013 are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 86th Oscars®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title and song title:

"Amen" from "All Is Lost"

"Alone Yet Not Alone" from "Alone Yet Not Alone"

"Doby" from "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues"

"Last Mile Home" from "August: Osage County"

"Austenland" from "Austenland"

"Comic Books" from "Austenland"

"L.O.V.E.D.A.R.C.Y" from "Austenland"

"What Up" from "Austenland"

"He Loves Me Still" from "Black Nativity"

"Hush Child (Get You Through This Silent Night)" from "Black Nativity"

"Test Of Faith" from "Black Nativity"

"Forgiveness" from "Brave Miss World"

"Lullaby Song" from "Cleaver's Destiny"

"Shine Your Way" from "The Croods"

"Happy" from "Despicable Me 2"

"Gonna Be Alright" from "Epic"

"Rise Up" from "Epic"

"What Matters Most" from "Escape from Planet Earth"

"Bones" from "For No Good Reason"

"Going Nowhere" from "For No Good Reason"

"Gonzo" from "For No Good Reason"

"The Courage To Believe" from "Free China: The Courage to Believe"

"Let It Go" from "Frozen"

"100$ Bill" from "The Great Gatsby"

"A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)" from "The Great Gatsby"

"Over The Love" from "The Great Gatsby"

"Together" from "The Great Gatsby"

"Young and Beautiful" from "The Great Gatsby"

"The Moon Song" from "Her"

"I See Fire" from "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

"Bite Of Our Lives" from "How Sweet It Is"

"Try" from "How Sweet It Is"

"Atlas" from "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"

"Better You, Better Me" from "The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete"

"Bring It On" from "Jewtopia"

"Aygiri Nadani" from "Kamasutra 3D"

"Har Har Mahadeva" from "Kamasutra 3D"

"I Felt" from "Kamasutra 3D"

"Of The Soil" from "Kamasutra 3D"

"Sawariya" from "Kamasutra 3D"

"In The Middle Of The Night" from "Lee Daniels' The Butler"

"You And I Ain't Nothin' No More" from "Lee Daniels' The Butler"

"Let's Take A Trip" from "Live at the Foxes Den"

"Pour Me Another Dream" from "Live at the Foxes Den"

"The Time Of My Life" from "Live at the Foxes Den"

"Ordinary Love" from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom"

"Monsters University" from "Monsters University"

"When The Darkness Comes" from "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"

"Sacrifice (I Am Here)" from "Murph: The Protector"

"The Muslims Are Coming" from "The Muslims Are Coming!"

"Oblivion" from "Oblivion"

"Sweeter Than Fiction" from "One Chance"

"Nothing Can Stop Me Now" from "Planes"

"We Both Know" from "Safe Haven"

"Get Used To Me" from "The Sapphires"

"Stay Alive" from "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"

"So You Know What It's Like" from "Short Term 12"

"There's No Black Or White" from "Somm"

"Cut Me Some Slack" from "Sound City"

"You Can't Fix This" from "Sound City"

"Let It Go" from "Spark: A Burning Man Story"

"We Ride" from "Spark: A Burning Man Story"

"Becomes The Color" from "Stoker"

"Younger Every Day" from "3 Geezers!"

"Here It Comes" from "Trance"

"Let The Bass Go" from "Turbo"

"The Snail Is Fast" from "Turbo"

"Speedin'" from "Turbo"

"My Lord Sunshine (Sunrise)" from "12 Years a Slave"

"Make It Love" from "Two: The Story of Roman & Nyro"

"One Life" from "The Ultimate Life"

"Unfinished Songs" from "Unfinished Song"

"For The Time Being" from "The Way, Way Back"

"Go Where The Love Is" from "The Way, Way Back"

"Bleed For Love" from "Winnie Mandela"

During the nominations process, all voting members of the Music Branch will receive a Reminder List of works submitted in the category and a DVD copy of the song clips. Members will be asked to watch the clips and then vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements in the category. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award. A maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film.

To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film. A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.

The 86th Academy Awards® nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

# # #

ABOUT THE ACADEMY

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards–in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners–Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.