Feed My Vanity

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao alone has solved (at least when he has a fight) two things that a team of policemen and the whole of senate cannot do: eliminate heavy traffic and lower the crime rate. Whenever he has a fight, everyone is just glued to the TV, rich or poor. Me? I go to the mall and take advantage of the absence of the heavy crowds. I’d have found right away the results of his fight. One time I was browsing in Papemelroti and the girl in the counter practically screamed “He won! Manny won!”. Hahaha.

Anyway, I was expecting the usual hustle and bustle in the office but ended the day with this picture:

And I also went home with this:

Sometimes, unexpected overtime is a blessing after all. Anyway, Manny Pacquiao had a victory party at Passion Restaurant in Resorts World Manila. I knew he was having a party there but I had to go because of the media men that came to cover it. It was a fun night of food, laughter, and lots of singing! Hahaha.

I rarely have my photo taken with celebrities unless it’s for work, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that my priority is always my job. But this is one photo and autograph op that I didn’t want to miss. Anyway, I’m blogging this 4 hours after the event and I’m beat. Goodnight everyone!

I said to myself before that I won’t post anything related to work, but this is too good to pass up:

Come one, come all at this wonderful celebration of Pinoy Pride from November 25 to 28. For more information, visit rwmanila.com

History is probably my worst subject. I just don’t have the attention span for it. I mostly learn history through fiction with a historical backdrop. One of my favorite books is The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. The setting is the Congo, during the time of the rule of Mobutu. I wouldn’t have had the patience to understand this piece of history if it wasn’t for this book. This goes for movies too!

HBO offers a chance to give us a history lesson sans the drone-y voice of a history teacher. Tune in to HBO tomorrow for a peek into the life of one of the most charismatic wartime leaders in history, Winston Churchill. The Emmy^® winning HBO Original Movie, INTO THE STORM premieres Tuesday, November 9 at 9pm on HBO / HBO HD.

Into the Storm

Winston Churchill was widely considered a visionary. Often controversial, frequently antagonistic and notably eloquent, he enjoyed a remarkably long career spanning more than 50 years. He became British Prime Minister at the onset of World War II and is regarded as one of the most successful and brilliant Prime Ministers Britain has ever had.

For five years, Winston Churchill played perhaps the single most important role in thwarting the Nazis during WWII, his intrepid leadership and rhetoric inspiring millions of Britons and other members of the free world to fight Hitler’s Germany to the bitter end. Following the Allies’ success, Britain went to the polls in 1945 to decide their post-war prime minister and ruling party, taking nearly a month to tally all the votes.

INTO THE STORM uses that time as a framework for the story, beginning as Churchill awaits his fate, and looks back at the war years as he heroically guided his beleaguered nation through this difficult and challenging period.

Executive produced by Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, along with David M. Thompson and David W. Zucker, and starring Emmy winner and Golden Globe nominee Brendan Gleeson and Oscar^® nominee Janet McTeer, INTO THE STORM continues the story told in Emmy^® winning HBO Original Movie The Gathering Storm. Set against the backdrop of World War II, INTO THE STORM offers an intimate look at the making of a nation’s hero, whose prowess as a great wartime leader ultimately undermined his political career and threatened his marriage to his lifelong supporter, Clemmie.

Don’t miss the premiere of INTO THE STORM, Tuesday, November 9 at 9pm on HBO / HBO HD. Encores air on Wednesday, November 10 at 1pm and Saturday, November 13 at 3.10pm. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more play times.

Okay. Pause. Before I get to sharing to you the premier. I hafta say I really want what Drew is wearing in this scene of Grey Gardens.

It’s lovely! It’s the type of dress that swings when you walk. And the hoodie is a nice touch!

Anyway, I did hear a few months ago that Drew Barrymore has been vying for a certain role. From what I’ve picked up, she’s aiming for the role of someone eccentric and related to the Kennedys, that’s it. But since I’m drawn to anything eccentric, I’m happy to announce that she DID get the role, and its for the part of Little Edie, titled Grey Gardens.

Here’s a preview:

In 1973, filmmakers Albert and David Maysles entered the strange world of “Big Edie” and “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale, two charming eccentric relatives of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy, the 35^th President of the United States. Spending six weeks with the reclusive mother and daughter who chose to live in squalor and almost total isolation in a decaying, 28-room mansion in East Hampton, the Maysles captured their day-to-day life in its raw, uncensored, captivatingly honest moments for a documentary entitled “Grey Gardens.” Little did anyone know that the 100-minute documentary would catapult the two women from virtual obscurity to cult status as their legacy grew in depth and stature over the years.

Thirty-five years later, using the documentary as a framework, director-writer Michael Sucsy’s original story for GREY GARDENS offers a wry, behind-the scenes look at the Beales and their unique mother-daughter bond. Told over the span of four decades, the film focuses on their glamorous and well-heeled lives long before the making of the documentary and on the circumstances behind their riches-to-rags story.

Drew Barrymore won a Golden Globe^® award for her role as “Little Edie”, and Jessica Lange, an Emmy^®, for her portrayal of “Big Edie”. Malcolm Gets and Daniel Baldwin co-star, with Ken Howard and Jeanne Tripplehorn playing Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. GREY GARDENS is directed by Michael Sucsy from a story by Michael Sucsy and teleplay by Michael Sucsy and Patricia Rozema. Lucy Barzun Donnelly, Rachael Horovitz and Michael Sucsy executive produce; David Coatsworth produces.

Drew Barrymore remains one of my all-time favorite actresses and I will surely watch out for this movie. 

Don’t miss the Asian premiere of GREY GARDENS, Saturday, September 25, 9pm on HBO. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more play times.