Philippine ex-leader Cory Aquino dies

Former Philippine leader Corazon Aquino, Asia's first female president, has died at the age of 76.

orazon Aquino had been suffering from colon cancer for more than a year

She had been suffering from colon cancer for more than a year and recently refused further treatment.
Her family had said she was leaving her fate to God, prompting church services offering prayers for her health.
National mourning has been declared for Mrs Aquino who became president when the 1986 "people power" uprising deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Hundreds of people have been visiting her home and the EDSA shrine where her 1986 revolution culminated, leaving flowers and lighting candles. Many tied symbolic yellow ribbons to their cars, and on trees near her home.
Mrs Aquino's body will lie in state at the De La Salle Catholic school in Manila from Saturday evening to Monday morning.

She will be buried beside her husband at the Manila Memorial Park in a private ceremony on Wednesday, her son said.

Coup attempts
"Our mother peacefully passed away at 0318 [1918 GMT Friday] of cardio-respiratory arrest," the son, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr, told the media.

"She would have wanted us to thank each and every one of you for all the prayers and the continuous love and support," he said.
"It was her wish for all of us to pray for one another and for the country."
Mrs Aquino, who was known as Tita (Aunty) Cory, had been admitted to hospital about a month ago suffering from a loss of appetite related to her condition.
A series of daily masses were held to pray for Mrs Aquino's health, at least one of which was attended by her former political rivals, President Joseph "Erap" Estrada and former first lady Imelda Marcos.

Catapulted to the top

Mrs Aquino was catapulted into politics following the murder of her husband, the prominent Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, who had been preparing to run for president.
He had already spent seven years in prison following President Marcos's declaration of martial law, with his wife as his only contact with the outside world.
Mrs Aquino said of her husband's death: "What is more important is that he did not die in vain and that his sacrifice, certainly, awakened the Filipino people from their apathy and indifference."
After winning the presidential elections in 1986, she went on to run a country deeply divided after years of martial law and communist insurgency.
She battled several coup attempts against her rule, protected the country's fledgling democracy and freed political prisoners.
In recent years, she campaigned against former President Estrada, but then reconciled with him to join protests against incumbent President Gloria Arroyo over allegations of vote-rigging and corruption.
She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 and later received several awards and citations for her work to promote democracy and human rights.

The Black Funeral of Michael Jackson

The Nation -- Funerals tell us more about the living than the dead. It's why anthropologists often begin with rituals of death as an entry point for understanding societies and cultures.
I remember watching the funeral of Princess Diana. It was a perfectly British event: the poignant, silent march of her children, the bells tolling at Westminster Abbey, the red coat pallbearers. But I remember being taken aback as the car carrying Diana's casket drove through the streets of London. I was surprised because at that moment the mourners began to applaud.
They'd stood for hours lining the streets and as the casket passed they needed to grieve collectively and publicly. Stiff-upper lip British culture does not have a mechanism for such public grieving. There is no piercing death wail, no garment rending, no ceremonial dance, so instead the British applauded. Those applause revealed the missing place in English life for public mourning.
The death and remembrance of Michael Jackson has been an interesting window into American culture, its relentless cable news cycle, and the overwhelming but false sense of intimacy our celebrity culture engenders. But for me it was the peek into African American culture that was most intriguing.
Within a week of Jackson's death I watched the avatars on my twitter feed turn from Iran-solidarity green to iconic photographs of Michael Jackson. But the photos were exclusively of "black" Michael Jackson: some from his childhood, some from the Off The Wall era, and many from the Thriller era. Few of my African American tweeps were visually remembering the Michael Jackson of the past decade with diminished features and whitened skin.
Memorializing Jackson included selective collective memory that allowed African Americans to see him as belonging especially, if not exclusively, to black folks.
Some African Americans were incensed by the misogynist, racially stereotypical B.E.T. Awards that gave the first public tribute to Jackson. Many have been critical of B.E.T as a network for more than a decade, and the tribute to Jackson renewed that those criticisms. The contrast of Michael Jackson with Soulja Boy felt particularly stark, regressive, and embarrassing.
Memorializing Michael Jackson renewed critical conversation about the direction of black music.
Jackson's passing inspired memorials that reflected local cultures, my favorite was the Second Line in New Orleans, but it was the massive funeral in Los Angeles on Tuesday that was most revealing. Michael Jackson was an international music icon and his memorial was covered on mainstream media, but it was black tradition most fully on display Tuesday.
African American death rituals have long been celebratory as well as mournful. As a marginal people whose collective identity is rooted in struggle, death is celebrated as a release from pain, inequality, and torment. As a deeply religious people, death is celebrated as an opportunity for reunion with God. As a people who were often denied dignity in life, the dignity of a proper homegoing is a critically important sign of respect. Along with these celebratory aspects of funerals, death rituals among African Americans are marked by loud, deep, displays of emotion and public grieving that mark the sense of loss experienced by the whole community.
All of these aspects of black life were on display Tuesday. And it tells us more about us than about Jackson himself. Jackson's radical surgical choices largely eliminated his black phenotype. Jackson's romantic choices did not include black women. His wealth and eccentricities set him apart from most black people. In the final years of his life his music was much more popular in European and Asian countries than among black American listeners. But in death black folks embraced Jackson.
Memorializing Jackson reminds me that death is still a segregated business in America. Funeral homes still anchor black neighborhoods and are a central path of black entrepreneurship. Though he may have transcended or "escaped" blackness in life, Jackson was rendered fully black in death. And that says much more about us than about him.

Only You (Philippine Version)

Only You is an upcoming Philippine remake of the Korean drama of the same title aired by SBS (South Korea) in 2005. It stars the Hottest Property of ABS-CBN, Ms. Angel Locsin on the lead role, along with Sam Milby and Diether Ocampo, under the direction of Rory Quintos. It will air this April 27, 2009 replacing I Love Betty La Fea on ABS-CBN Primetime.

CAST

Sam Milby as TJ (Han Yi Joon)

Angel Locsin as Jillian (Cha Eun Jae)

Diether Ocampo as Jonathan (Jung Hyun Sung)

can't believe I'm gonna say this... But... Here it goes... I can't wait for this remake... I am kinda against remake but this one, really is an exception...Trailer alone, gives me goosebumps.I think that Angel was perfect for this part and finally I'm going to see her as a human being... LOLNo More SuperHuman Power, just the power of taste.And Surprisingly, Diether and Angel actually have a great chemistry... Hope this remake surpassed my expectation, which is currently high.Up for Angel, Up for Only YouOnly You, April 27 only on ABS CBN

F4 Fans Compare The China and Korean Versions of ‘Boys Over Flowers’

It was revealed on China portal site sina.com the uniforms that the main characters to China’s version of ‘Boys Over Flowers‘ and it has received various kinds of response from the Korean netizens.There has been great interests in comparing the Japanese, Taiwanese and the Korean version of ‘Boys Over Flowers‘ so far. The comparisons were in terms of the appearance of the main characters, their acting and fashion.As can be seen, it is the checkered style for the uniform fashion of the China’s version. And they also uses red colour for their ties.The responses from netizens were mixed, “It absolutely cannot be compared to that of the Korean version”, “This looks like Korea in the 1970-80s” and “But still the female uniform looks nice on the female lead”.The main cast to the China’s version of ‘Boys Over Flowers‘ were Jang Han (Goo Joon Pyo, Jang Han), Hwi Hao Ming (Yoon Ji Hoo, Yoo Ho Myung), Joo Tze Sao (So Yi Jung, Joo Jae Ho) and Wei Yi Cheon (Sung Woo Bin, Hwi Shin).

China’s ‘Goo Joon Pyo’

China’s ‘Yoon Ji Hoo’

China’s ‘So Yi Jung’

China’s ‘Sung Woo Bin’

China’s ‘Geum JanDi’

China’s F4

Korea’s F4

A comparison of manga-Taiwan-Japanese-Korean-China versions of ‘Boys Over Flowers’

Who do you think got the best group?

2009 MTV Movie Awards: And the winners are…

Twilight, the popular vampire drama based on the best-selling novel of the same title by Stephenie Meyer, took a big bite out of Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards, winning best movie, best fight, best kiss, best female performance and breakthrough male performance.
Following is a complete list of winners at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, which were held at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City.
Best Villain: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Breakthrough Performance Female: Ashley Tisdale, “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
Best Fight: Robert Pattinson vs. Cam Gigandet, “Twilight”
Breakthrough Performance Male: Robert Pattinson, “Twilight”
Best Male Performance: Zac Efron, “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
Best Kiss: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, “Twilight”
Best WTF Moment: Amy Poehler for Peeing in the Sink in “Baby Mama”
Best Song from a Movie: “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus, “Hannah Montana: The Movie”
Generation Award Winner: Ben Stiller
Best Female Performance: Kristen Stewart, “Twilight”
Best Comedic Performance: Jim Carrey, “Yes Man”
Best Movie: “Twilight”

Twilight Saga: New Moon’ - First Photos and 15 Seconds Teaser Trailer

The first set of production photos and 15 seconds trailer of the highly-anticipated film “New Moon” were released by Summit Entertainment

Marian Rivera - Preview June 2009

Clad in this short Eric de los Santos mini dress and a pair of hot pink booties, Marian Rivera is all dolled up on the cover of Preview Magazine June 2009 issue.

line with the 50th anniversary of Barbie, Preview’s latest issue is inspired by the world’s most famous doll. And gracing this special issue is none other than GMA’s newest Darna, Marian Rivera.

Other features include “Yummy Artisan Chocolates,” “How to Fake Looking Fresh, Thin and Flawless,” “The Bold Mix,” “Work Wear in the Best Pale Shades,” and the signature styles of the 80’s icons like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran and Grace Jones.

Preview June 2009 is now available nationwide wherever magazines are sold.

Hayden Kho Senate Hearing Trumps Daytime Soap Operas

The Hayden Kho Senate hearing Thursday afternoon became the most exciting daytime program on television as it involves reality, drama, crime and suspense. Needless to say, the water-dousing incident builds up the climax.

Here is the statement of Katrina Halili during the Senate hearing:

Artista po ako. Trabaho ko ang maghatid ng tuwa. Pantasya ng telebisyon at pelikula. Pero tulad ng iba may pribado ring buhay din ako gaya ng lahat. Sa pagkakataong ito. dangal ko at dangal ng pamilya ang pinag-uusapan dito. Minahal ko si Hayden. Bata ako kaya madaling nalagyan ng piring ang aking mga mata para isiping ako lang ang nagmamay-ari ng puso niya. Pero gaya ng lahat ng relasyong nagsimula sa kasinunagalingan, wala itong pinatunguhan.

Wala akong malay na ang bawat yakap at halik ay scripted. Buong-buo kong binigay ang puso at ang kaluluwa ko sa isang lalaking gumagawa pala ng sariling pelikula. Ang tanga ko. Imbes na doktor, direktor pala. Inaamin ko ang pagkakamali ko. Ang pagkakamali ko ay minahal ko siya. At naniwala ako na minahal n’ya rin ako ng lubusan.

Ako raw ang prinsesa niya sa ikalawa niyang mundo. Bata po ako madali niya ako napaniwala. Ako ang biktima rito. Araw-araw biktima ako habang pinapanood ang nasabing video. Hiling ko po ang hustisya sa hukuman kahit alam kong habang buhay ko nang dadalhin ang ginawa sa akin.

Patay na ako pero may video pa rin at may Internet. Dalawa lang kasong sinampa ko sa pambababoy na ginawa sa akin sa pagkatao ko. Gusto ko siyang matanggalan ng lisensiya bilang doktor. Wala siyang karapatang maging doktor. Gusto ko rin siyang makulong at pagdusahan niya ang ginawa niya sa akin.

Pero ano po ang iginanti nila. Kasama ni Hayden ang kanyang ina. Sari-saring paninira ang binato nila sa akin at sa mga taong tumutulong sa akin. Inabuso na ako at binaboy, ako pa ang may sala. Inabuso na nga ako sa sex video, inaabuso pa ako muli sa publiko.

And issue dito ay pang-aabuso sa kababaihan. Ang pambababoy sa akin at sa iba pang biktima ni Hayden. Sa kultura po natin habambuhay na latay sa pagkatao ko ang ginawa sa akin. May ina din po ako na nasasaktan. Araw-araw na nagdurusa. May anak o kapatid din po kayo na babae. Ayaw din n’yo mangyari sa kanila ang sinapit ko.

Sana ipagpatuloy ng Senado at madaliin ang pagsusulong ng mga batas na may layuning itaguyod ang karapatan at proteksyon para sa aming kababaihan dahil iba na ang ginagamit na panggagahasa at pambababoy sa karapatan ng kababaihan. Sa Intenet, sa blogs, DVDs at iba pa.

Nabiktima ako. Isa ako sa maraming babaeng naloko at niloko ni Hayden Kho. Pero may hangganan ang katangahan. At sa araw na ito buong loob na humaharap sa inyo na puno ng respeto sa sarili. Ilalaban ko ang aking karapatan ng mabuhay ng marangal, ng walang takot at malayo sa karanasang inabot ko dahil sa sex video.

Sana po sa publiko itigil na po natin ang pagtangkilik sa mga sex videos at malalaswang panoorin. Kung walang tumatangkilik wala rin din pong gagawa ng mga sex video. Sana po ang pangalang Katrina Halili na lang ang huling nasa mga sex videos. Sana po wala ng susunod pa. Salamat po.

Hayden Kho, on the other hand, accused Katrina Halili of influencing him to use drugs. He admitted that he made some of the sex videos while under the influence of drugs.

“I myself don’t know why I made these videos. I have been undergoing psychotherapy to know why I do such things and why men and women do such things,” Kho said during the Senate committee hearing.

“I am not attributing drugs as my reason for taking the sex videos. These are things that I am very, very ashamed of. I am not proud of these videos,” he added.

Kho said only two people are qualified suspects for the sex video leak: his former friends Eric Johnston Chua and Herbert “Bistek” Rosario. He said the sex videos are in his hard drive but it went missing last December 2008 after he had a falling-out with his girlfriend, Dr. Vicki Belo.