Right after the successful release of NFS Hot Pursuit, Electronic Arts (EA) unleashed another action-packed driving game. NFS: The Run features an awesome storyline and never-before-seen driving game spectacle in the NFS series. This current release claims as the largest racing game ever created.

The game puts you behind the wheel as you try to race from San Francisco to New York in the cross-country car chase employing different cars you’ve ever dreamed of handling – Bugatti Veyrons, Lamborghinis, Ford Shelby, Camaro to name a few.

You take the identity of Jack Rourke who has been pursued by the mob with a price on his head because of a debt he can’t repay. Sam Harper aids Jack in winning the Run with a winner-take-all of $25 million by working as his eyes and ears throughout the game.

What’s unique about NFS: The Run is its compelling attribute to get the gamer in the mood to finish each stage or even the whole race. We’ve always known NFS for its street car racing and this latest franchise has yet positioned them on a better spot among the race driving fans. If you are familiar with the Need for Speed series, most of the race is done in a basic start-finish setups which is either done in sprint, circuit or knockout challenges also done in laps. The Run is different for it does not carry the usual NFS circuit racing; instead it pushes you to pass through the top 200 racers through different challenges enclosed in stages. As they say “you’re always competing.”

The race will force you to pass 6-10 cars, battle with 3-4 cars in a steep winding cliff or a head-to-head dirty combat with one of the top drivers.

Also, there are portions of the game where you will have an interactive participation with the protagonist as he tries to escape death in several scenarios. An ever first to have instituted “quick-time” events that sometimes puts you in so much aw that puts you in between watching a movie and playing the game.

With Dice’s Frostbite 2 technology, the game boasts eye catching graphics and close-to-reality driving experience relative to the Hot Pursuit.

But some NFS game fanatics complain about the game’s graphics issues like a capped frame rate and difficult controller configuration especially for the PC version.

Though the game is a bit short, still I can say NFS: The Run is one great game. I’m hoping that EA could make some follow-up sequel on this one. I am a bit intrigued with what’s going on between Jack and Sam.

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Throughout the course of the interview, she showed her usual enthusiasm as a host but one question from Boy Abunda caught a lot of attention from its viewers.

First she was asked, “if she were to borrow a face from another female actor who would it be and why?” She proudly answered Kristine Hermosa since Gonzaga admired the former’s beautiful face.

On the other hand she was asked, “if you were to be a man in an alternate life, as an actor who would you be?” And directly answered Piolo Pascual but then she repeats the term “lalaki” (man) as she interrupted Abunda’s dialogue creating a buzz from the studio audience while co-host Christine Reyes makes a surprised reaction on Gonzaga’s answer. Reyes’s reaction was so priceless like she was saying, “Hey Toni that’s supposed to be a secret!”

Piolo Pascual has been longed for questioned about his masculinity as several issues have been linked pertaining to his sexuality. Several videos were posted on various online streaming channels which provided us hints as to Pascual’s seemingly feminine side.

I just wonder why they still try to keep it a secret when almost everyone else has deduced the truth.  No matter what Pascual’s sexual preference is, it should not be a hindrance for him in making good quality films at the local entertainment scene.

Watch Toni Gonazaga’s birthday interview at THE BUZZ.

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Siri is the latest app offered by Apple Inc. via their newly released iPhone 4s. This has incredibly captivated a lot of gadget flingers and enthusiasts. Being able to send voice commands and communicate with your mobile phone device is one of the best things to happen in smart phone technology. Not only does Siri accept voice commands but also talks back like a normal person would.

This mobile advancement as always will never get past the Pinoy techies and will sooner or later make its mark among iPhone owners and wannabees. Not to remove from the equation none – iPhone users, even I who do not have one and is currently dreaming of owning one of these smart phones says that Siri has indeed caught my attention.

Siri despite of being on beta stage is already making waves in the World Wide Web and one in particular is a Filipino-made parody of Siri as having a Filipino counterpart that has been a viral hit among the Pinoys which is now prevalent on Youtube’s online video stream channels.

Vangie so as termed was created to work similarly (or better) than that of Siri – addressing certain issues like recognizing Pinoy English and understanding Pinoy culture.

For you to appreciate this post, I have here the video link to Ate Vangie: Vangie the Pinoy Virtual Assistant

I was laughing my heart out watching this video and truly I can say that we Filipinos are the best in doing films even as short as this which is a lot more entertaining than the real thing. Kudos to its makers Macapuno systems for their witty creation of Vangie: the Pinoy Virtual Assistant series of videos. (Yeah, there’s a series of videos of Vangie you can get to enjoy watching)

Now, if you have an iPhone 4S, will you have Siri or Vangie on your smart phone to suit your style?

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Gazing upon the theatrical trailers of the current year’s entries for MMFF, I would say the fantasy films anticipate domination in the spotlight since most of our audiences are the younger generation and family-oriented people who will predominantly watch films that are more appealing to their taste.

Fantasy and horror films are the best bets. I believe many people would be expecting title-holders coming either from Bong Revilla’s “Panday 2” or Vic Sotto’s “Enteng ng Ina Mo” or even Kris Aquino’s “Segunda Mano”. But then unexpectedly, checking the outcome of the festival, these movies didn’t even get to fare to be a nominee. An old-themed inspired biography movie in monochrome took most of the awards that night. Imagine that!

“Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story” came out strong and took eleven (11 out of 27) of the awards for this year’s movie festival that include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (John Regala), Best Screenplay, Gatpuno Villegas Cultural Award, Best Cinematography, Best Original Theme Song, Best Musical Store, Best Sound Recording, Best Editing, and Best Production Design.

If the MMFF awarding body gave this movie this bunch of awards then I think this is a good movie to add on our watch list. Though our bets did not make it to the top, still we (the movie patrons) will define which movie is truly a blockbuster hit!

Here is the full list of the winners of MMFF 2011 Awards (Source:Yahoo OMG!):

• Best Picture: “Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story” (Scenema Concepts Int’l, Viva Films)
• Second Best Picture: Enteng Ng Ina Mo (Star Cinema, M-Zet Films)
• Third Best Picture: Shake, Rattle, and Roll 13 (Regal Films)
• Best Director: “Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story”
• Best Actor: Dingdong Dantes (“Segunda Mano”)
• Best Actress: Maricel Soriano (“Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow”)
• Best Supporting Actor: John Regala (“Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story”)
• Best Supporting Actress: Eugene Domingo (“My Househusband: Ikaw Na!”)
• Best Child Performer: Bugoy Carino (“Shake, Rattle, and Roll 13”)
• Best Screenplay: Roi Iglesias and Rey Ventura (“Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story”)
• Best Story: Chris Martinez and Marlon Rivera (“Shake, Rattle, and Roll 13”)
• Gatpuno Villegas Cultural Award: “Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story”
• Gender Sensitivity Award: “My Househusband: Ikaw Na!”
• Best Cinematography: Carlo Mendoza (“Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story”)
• Best Original Theme Song: “La Paloma” by Ely Buendia (“Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story”)
• Best Musical Score: Jerry Lazaten (“Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story”)
• Best Sound Recording: Mike Idioma (“Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story”)
• Best Editing: Jason Canapay and Ryan Orduna (“Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story”)
• Best Production Design: Fritz Siloria, Mona Soriano, and Ronaldo Cadapan (“Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story”)
• Best Visual Effects: Riot Inc. (“Ang Panday 2”)
• Best Make-up: Florencia Penero, Niccolo Medina, and Jayvee Flores (“Enteng Ng Ina Mo”)
• Best Float: “Ang Panday 2”
• Best Full-Length Independent Film: “Pintakasi”
• Best New Wave Actor: JM de Guzman (“Pintakasi”)
• Best New Wave Actress: Iza Calzado (“H.I.V.”)
• New Wave Gender Sensitivity Award: “H.I.V.” (full-length) and “Speechless from Miriam College (student film)
• Best Student Film: “Payaso” from De La Salle-Lipa and MATe from Colegio San Juan de Letran
• Special Jury Prize: “Biyahe Ni Barbie” from De La Salle-College of St. Benilde

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I’ve got a copy of the original (first) Superman movie as portrayed by the late Christopher Reeves. As I was watching the first of the quadrilogy set, I was impressed that the film makers who made the introduction scenes of the movie were able to carry a cosmic affinity to the film’s setting even with the absence of any technological advancement in movie making during that time.

I went through the first two parts of the boxed set and I can say I am very satisfied with the quality of the film even though I was “brain-washed” with the current dynamism of CGI animations on superhero franchises of today.

I was a bit puzzled when I heard the news of another Superman movie coming 2013. A reboot of the popular man in tights of blue and a red cape and “not” a follow up to the previous “Superman Returns” film which starred Brandon Rout.

Hey! Why make another one?!

But then, I found out that the remake will be done under the intrinsic movie mastery of Christopher Nolan. Wham! Remember, how he tickled our minds with his curtain closer puzzle in Inception. And of course, the wickedness and the eerie character of the Joker (well played by Heath Ledger) in the Dark Knight. So what more can we expect from the new Superman movie?

If you liked Nolan’s Batman, I think this is something we should look forward to.

Though Nolan won’t directing this one and instead Zack Snyder will be commanding the set, I hope Nolan would provide some inputs to the movie.

The new superman franchise will be flying to our silver screens by 2013 carrying the title “Man of Steel” and is set to be played by Henry Cavill (Tudors, Immortals, Stardust).

I hope they will make Clark Kent more compelling and close to reality like Bruce Wayne in “The Dark Knight.”

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After a year’s worth of waiting, I and my sister were able to watch the first part of Breaking Dawn, based on the last book of the Twilight Saga. (It’s my sister who came with me since my husband along with a lot of the male population doesn’t want to watch romantic flicks since as they say, they will just sleep over the entire movie.)

Unfortunately, critics generally disliked “Breaking Dawn,” with just 27 percent giving a favorable review on aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were far more upbeat, scoring the movie a B+ on average, according to survey firm CinemaScore. Females gave the movie an A-. These were taken from gmanews.tv

I tend to agree with the critics since the most awaited wedding failed to send the message across, that it’s a special one between a vampire and a mere human. Although kudos to Kristen (Bella) since she was able to show the wedding jitters one gets when walking down the aisle, that is until she sees Robert (Edward).

It’s a good thing also that they were able to retain some humor that was on the book like when Billy (Charlie), Bella’s dad was giving a toast to the couple but instead was warning Edward to be faithful since he’s a policeman and he can find him anywhere.

The only saving grace was Bella’s pregnancy. You could see how good the make up artist was in making Bella look like a blushing bride at the start of the movie to a skeleton-looking mother-to-be who’s risking everything, even her own life just to have a supernatural baby. I believe that’s how it always is when you’re having a baby; it is a great risk on both the mother and the baby’s life.

Even the Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) effects in making Bella have an anorexic body and look ghastly while pregnant and the grand transformation from a human being to a vampire with the aid of Edward’s venom was really good (except for me the part when suddenly her chest expanded! Maybe her bones were broken from Edward’s repeated heart pumping to immediately spread the venom.)

With the movie costing about $110 million to make but opening with a massive $283.5 million in worldwide ticket sales over the weekend, I’m just hoping that the last movie Breaking Dawn Part 2 will be better and more close to how the book was written to be able to convey the spirit in which it was created. Not thinking about the length of the movie like what they did with Lord of the Rings. After all, isn’t it good to return the favor to the passionate fans that fell in love with the book first by creating a movie that they will love and appreciate?

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Before the murder happened on October 28 2011, Genelyn has posted several of her personal woes and sorrows about her family’s prevailing crisis. Clearly, the family is in dire dilemma.

The series of status updates made on her Facebook account contains her sentiments about the family’s financial problem, a word scuffle with Sen. “Bong” Revilla and a flood of messages claiming the innocence of her children Ramona and RJ Bautista on Ramgen’s murder.

The police may find some leads to the murder case from Genelyn’s posts in Facebook but there is much more to be uncovered when the right people involved in the crime can finally relay their own side of the story.

Janelle Manahan, Ramgen’s girlfriend who was also shot in the face on the eve of the murder, can also serve as a witness to the heinous crime. We may still have to wait for some time before she can throw in some information in light of the investigation.

We’re just hoping that the real mastermind will soon be caught so that Ramgen’s death will be given justice.

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The death of Ricky Pempengco served as a bridge for two warring families to reunite. A verbal clash that occurred between Charice and her father’s relatives has finally come to an end. A great gift for their departed loved one.

It is so interesting that the death of someone will bring peace between two opposing sides. Maybe it is too late for the deceased to witness it but it is a great turning point, a grandiose achievement in the wake of someone’s departure. Mission accomplished!

It is timely for them to change and support one another given the fact that Pempengco died of an unlikely cause.

Charice’s aunt, Russell Mejia stated in her interview, “Sa ngayon, naging maganda kasi nagkaisa kaming magpamilya. ‘Yung side ni Charice, ‘yung side namin, nagkaisa dahil sa kanya [Ricky]. (It is good for our families to come together in reconciliation. Both sides were brought together because of him.)

Charice was scheduled to take part in a concert abroad but instead abruptly returned to the country because of her father’s death.

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Ruel Puzon who served as a witness to the crime has pointed out RJ and Ramona among the seven people who have planned the killing of their brother. Puzon also took part in the plan but eventually pulled-out during the execution of the crafted villainy.

Up until now, five people are still at-large and police has called upon their surrender to alleviate the investigation process. The police still have some missing details about who fired and stabbed Ram. Only the feud in the family is concluded as the overt motive.

But with this information, what really pushed the siblings in that devilish move?

As we all know, the Revilla clan is one of the biggest political family in the country publicly known for Former Senator Ramon Revilla Sr. and his son Bong Revilla. (Ramon Revilla Jr.) Their enormous family has never been into such great controversy so much for a crime as extensive as this (killing one’s own). Once they have shown that large families can live in harmony and in good terms with one another. But this incident has finally concluded that tranquility cannot be achieved when faced with diverse family connections.

Nevertheless, we cannot conclude that size can be a factor in establishing a harmonious relationship among its members.

Money, power and fame may be some of the reasons but only with the presence of the responsible people can this case be put into light for justice to be served for a family member’s eternal rest.

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The presence of the “24 oras news crew” was even a puzzle yet their being there gives a hint of a rising dilemma on Claudine’s personal life so much that Atty. Agnes Maranan, Claudine’s lawyer, participation is needed.

Atty. Maranan made her statement with 24 oras about the infuriating incident, “It was a withdrawal at the time. We were here for more than 30 minutes. I was able to confirm from the teller that the funds were still there; and then suddenly, about 40 minutes or 30 minutes later, wala na ‘yung funds (the money was no longer there).”

Raymart Santiago, Claudine’s husband, was not able to provide any information regarding the incident though the news crew has tried to reach Raymart for his own statement.

Nevertheless, this situation should no longer be publicized and played upon by the media. Whether or not this stirs a great rumor in show business, actresses like Claudine should be given their right to privacy. Just like any other individual, they still have the right to manage their own lives.

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